2023 Best Value Education Schools in Illinois
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Education School for You
Out of the majors we analyze each year, education was ranked 4th in Illinois. In fact, 10,567 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
The Best Value Education Schools in Illinois ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 39 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best value programs for education students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 10 Best Education Schools
Our analysis found Concordia University, Chicago to be the best value school for education students who want to pursue a degree in Illinois. Located in the large suburb of River Forest, Concordia University, Chicago is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Concordia University, Chicago are $34,310 a year. While working on their degree, education majors at Concordia University, Chicago accumulate an average of around $25,000 in student debt.
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Out of the 39 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public school with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Illinois State are $13,968 per year. On average, education graduates from Illinois State take out $22,083 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $332, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Illinois State also did well on our Best Education Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Northeastern Illinois University is a great value for education students. Located in the large city of Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Northeastern Illinois University undergraduate students pay an average of $12,064 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, education majors at Northeastern Illinois University accumulate an average of around $11,500 in student debt.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Governors State University is a great value for education students. GSU is a small public school located in the rural area of University Park.
GSU undergraduate students pay an average of $10,108 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, education majors at GSU accumulate an average of around $35,400 in student debt.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Eastern Illinois University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in Illinois list. EIU is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Charleston.
EIU undergraduate students pay an average of $12,297 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that education majors at EIU take out is $23,459. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $158, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of St Francis ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in Illinois list. Located in the suburb of Joliet, University of Saint Francis is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at University of Saint Francis are $35,000 a year. The average amount in student loans that education majors at University of Saint Francis take out is $23,878.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, University of Saint Francis also is in the top 15% of our Best Education Schools in Illinois ranking.
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With a ranking of #7, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on this year’s best value schools for education students. Located in the city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public college with a large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SIUC are $15,240 per year. The average amount in student loans that education majors at SIUC take out is $19,901.
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With a ranking of #8, Olivet Nazarene University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for education students. Olivet Nazarene is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small suburb of Bourbonnais.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Olivet Nazarene are $37,440 per year. The average amount in student loans that education majors at Olivet Nazarene take out is $27,000.
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Northern Illinois University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in Illinois list. Located in the small suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at NIU are $14,738 a year. While working on their degree, education majors at NIU accumulate an average of around $23,882 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $235.
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With a ranking of #10, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on this year’s best value schools for education students. Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public school with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SIUE are $11,496 per year. After completing their degree, education graduates from SIUE carry an average student debtload of $22,125. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $184, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Request InformationBest Value Education Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
Explore all the Best Value Education Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Indiana | 11,570 |
| Michigan | 5,939 |
| Ohio | 9,238 |
| Wisconsin | 5,792 |
More Education Rankings in Illinois
Majors Related to Education
Education Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 110,226 |
| Educational Administration | 46,469 |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 43,297 |
| Special Education | 36,792 |
| General Education | 29,810 |
| Curriculum & Instruction | 19,832 |
| Student Counseling | 13,858 |
| Instructional Media Design | 8,695 |
| Teaching English or French | 5,791 |
| Other Education | 4,858 |
| Teaching Assistants | 2,751 |
| Educational Assessment | 2,552 |
| Multilingual Education | 1,910 |
| Education Philosophy | 737 |
| International Education | 293 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Education
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Social Sciences | 205,984 |
| Psychology | 195,678 |
| Communication & Journalism | 120,571 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 55,820 |
| History | 32,731 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Horadrim.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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