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Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

9 Colleges
$30,002 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$68,398 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Engineering School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, engineering was ranked 6th in Illinois. In fact, 6,581 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 9 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best value programs for engineering 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. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois

Check out the engineering programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Best Illinois Schools for Affordable Quality in Engineering

$17,634 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to be the best value school for engineering students who want to pursue a degree in Illinois. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UIUC are $17,634 a year. While working on their degree, engineering majors at UIUC accumulate an average of around $19,526 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $498, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UIUC is ranked #3 for overall quality for engineering in Illinois.

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$11,496 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best engineering schools in Illinois. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SIUE are $11,496 a year. On average, engineering graduates from SIUE take out $23,094 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $270.

Read full report on Engineering at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

$14,738 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois list. NIU is a large public school located in the small suburb of Dekalb.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NIU are $14,738 per year. The average amount in student loans that engineering majors at NIU take out is $26,089. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $192.

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$15,603 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois list. UIC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Chicago.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIC are $15,603 per year. On average, engineering graduates from UIC take out $21,050 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $217.

Read full report on Engineering at University of Illinois at Chicago

$15,240 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 9 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the # 5 spot on the list. SIUC is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Carbondale.

SIUC undergraduate students pay an average of $15,240 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that engineering majors at SIUC take out is $23,547.

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#6

Bradley University

Peoria, IL
$36,360 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, Bradley University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for engineering students. Located in the medium-sized city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bradley are $36,360 per year. While working on their degree, engineering majors at Bradley accumulate an average of around $26,971 in student debt.

In addition to its great value ranking, Bradley is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Engineering Schools in Illinois list.

Read full report on Engineering at Bradley University

#7

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL
$60,768 Average Tuition & Fees

Northwestern University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for engineering students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

Northwestern undergraduate students pay an average of $60,768 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, engineering graduates from Northwestern carry an average student debtload of $15,958.

Northwestern did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our Best Engineering Schools in Illinois list.

Full Engineering at Northwestern University Report

$50,375 Average Tuition & Fees

Illinois Institute of Technology came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the city of Chicago, Illinois Tech is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Illinois Tech are $50,375 per year. On average, engineering graduates from Illinois Tech take out $24,766 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology Report

$47,808 Average Tuition & Fees

Loyola University Chicago ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Loyola Chicago are $47,808 a year. Engineering majors at Loyola Chicago take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

In addition to its great value ranking, Loyola Chicago is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Engineering Schools in Illinois list.

Read More…

Best Value Engineering Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Indiana 5,383
Michigan 8,586
Ohio 8,648
Wisconsin 3,396

Engineering Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Mechanical Engineering 46,178
Electrical Engineering 28,844
Civil Engineering 21,388
Computer Engineering 17,987
Chemical Engineering 12,917
Biomedical Engineering 12,811
General Engineering 11,796
Industrial Engineering 9,072
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 8,001
Systems Engineering 3,904
Materials Engineering 3,415
Other Engineering 2,760
Environmental Engineering 2,759
Operations Research 1,698
Agricultural Engineering 1,472
Engineering Science 1,454
Electrical and Computer Engineering. 1,378
Petroleum Engineering 1,256
Robotics Engineering 1,243
Architectural Engineering 1,012
Engineering Physics 994
Manufacturing Engineering 947
Construction Engineering 878
Nuclear Engineering 864
Marine Engineering 445
Biological Engineering 410
Polymer & Plastics Engineering 360
Geoscience Engineering 325
Mining Engineering 314
Textile Engineering 310
Ocean Engineering 285
Engineering Mechanics 272
Metallurgical Engineering 179
Energy Systems Engineering 138
Biochemical Engineering 109
Ceramic Engineering 94
Surveying Engineering 73
Electromechanical Engineering 45
Forest Engineering 41
Paper Science & Engineering 27
Engineering Chemistry 13

Related Major Annual Graduates
Computer & Information Sciences 254,454
Biological & Biomedical Sciences 177,778
Engineering Technologies 85,188
Mathematics & Statistics 52,396
Physical Sciences 50,306

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 9 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 Petty Officer 3rd Class Declan Barnes.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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