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Best Value Electrical Engineering Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Value Electrical Engineering Schools in Illinois

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

8 Colleges
$27,777 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$74,093 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Electrical Engineering School for You

In 2020-2021, 1,029 degrees and certificates were awarded to electrical engineering students who went to a Illinois college or university. This makes it the #35 most popular major in the state.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Electrical Engineering Schools in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 8 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best value programs for EE students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Electrical Engineering Schools in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Electrical Engineering Colleges.

Best Illinois Schools for Affordable Quality in Electrical Engineering

$11,496 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Southern Illinois University Edwardsville to be the best value school for electrical engineering students who want to pursue a degree in Illinois. Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public college with a large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SIUE are $11,496 per year. After completing their degree, EE graduates from SIUE carry an average student debtload of $26,000.

Read More…

$17,634 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Electrical Engineering Schools in Illinois list. UIUC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Champaign.

UIUC undergraduate students pay an average of $17,634 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, EE majors at UIUC accumulate an average of around $20,574 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $464.

UIUC also made our Best Electrical Engineering Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #3.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

$14,738 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Northern Illinois University is a great value for electrical engineering students. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a fairly 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, EE majors at NIU accumulate an average of around $25,270 in student debt.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at Northern Illinois University

$15,603 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 8 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIC are $15,603 per year. While working on their degree, EE majors at UIC accumulate an average of around $22,000 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $227.

Full Electrical Engineering at University of Illinois at Chicago Report

$15,240 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Southern Illinois University Carbondale helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best electrical engineering schools in Illinois. Located in the city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SIUC are $15,240 per year. While working on their degree, EE majors at SIUC accumulate an average of around $25,125 in student debt.

Full Electrical Engineering at Southern Illinois University Carbondale Report

#6

Bradley University

Peoria, IL
$36,360 Average Tuition & Fees

Bradley University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Electrical Engineering Schools in Illinois ranking. Bradley is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Peoria.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Bradley are $36,360 a year. The average amount in student loans that EE majors at Bradley take out is $26,860.

Bradley also claimed a spot on our Best Electrical Engineering Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at Bradley University

#7

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL
$60,768 Average Tuition & Fees

Northwestern University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value electrical engineering programs. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Evanston.

Northwestern undergraduate students pay an average of $60,768 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Northwestern not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #1 on our Best Electrical Engineering Schools in Illinois list.

Full Electrical Engineering at Northwestern University Report

$50,375 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well on this year’s best value schools for electrical engineering students. Illinois Tech is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Illinois Tech are $50,375 a year. The average amount in student loans that EE majors at Illinois Tech take out is $22,725.

Full Electrical Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology Report

Best Value Electrical Engineering Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Value Electrical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 1,147
Ohio 1,153
Indiana 730
Wisconsin 465

Electrical Engineering is one of 40 different types of programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to EE

Related Major Annual Graduates
Mechanical Engineering 46,178
Civil Engineering 21,388
Computer Engineering 17,987
Chemical Engineering 12,917
Biomedical Engineering 12,811

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 8 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 NASA.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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