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Best Value Psychology Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Value Psychology Schools in Illinois

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

46 Colleges
$21,524 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$38,925 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Psychology School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, psychology was ranked 7th in Illinois. In fact, 6,520 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.

The Best Value Psychology Schools in Illinois ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 46 schools in Illinois to see which programs offered the best value experiences for psychology students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

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.

2023 Best Value Psychology Schools in Illinois

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

Top 10 Best Psychology Schools

#1

Governors State University

University Park, IL
$10,108 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Governors State University to be the best value school for psychology students who want to pursue a degree in Illinois. GSU is a small public school located in the rural area of University Park.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at GSU are $10,108 per year. After completing their degree, psychology graduates from GSU carry an average student debtload of $26,725.

Full Psychology at Governors State University Report

$11,496 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 46 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public school with a fairly large student population.

SIUE undergraduate students pay an average of $11,496 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, psychology graduates from SIUE take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $288.

Read full report on Psychology at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

$13,968 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools in Illinois list. Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Illinois State undergraduate students pay an average of $13,968 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that psychology majors at Illinois State take out is $19,500. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $342.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Illinois State also did well on our Best Psychology Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Psychology at Illinois State University Report

#4

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL
$12,297 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Eastern Illinois University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Psychology 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. After completing their degree, psychology graduates from EIU carry an average student debtload of $24,882. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $190.

Read More…

$12,053 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at University of Illinois at Springfield helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best psychology schools in Illinois. Located in the midsize city of Springfield, UIS is a public school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIS are $12,053 per year. On average, psychology graduates from UIS take out $22,277 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $131.

Full Psychology at University of Illinois at Springfield Report

#6

Saint Augustine College

Chicago, IL
$12,120 Average Tuition & Fees

Saint Augustine College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value psychology programs. St. Augustine College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at St. Augustine College are $12,120 per year. After completing their degree, psychology graduates from St. Augustine College carry an average student debtload of $5,436.

Full Psychology at Saint Augustine College Report

$13,297 Average Tuition & Fees

Western Illinois University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools in Illinois list. WIU is a moderately-sized public school located in the remote town of Macomb.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at WIU are $13,297 a year. Psychology majors at WIU take out an average of $28,252 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $218, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Psychology at Western Illinois University Report

$15,603 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for psychology students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the large city of Chicago, UIC is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UIC are $15,603 a year. Psychology majors at UIC take out an average of $19,000 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $244, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

$12,064 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, Northeastern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for psychology students. Located in the large city of Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northeastern Illinois University are $12,064 per year. Psychology majors at Northeastern Illinois University take out an average of $17,937 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read More…

$14,738 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, Northern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for psychology students. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at NIU are $14,738 a year. The average amount in student loans that psychology majors at NIU take out is $25,302. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $206, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Psychology at Northern Illinois University

Best Value Psychology Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Indiana 3,548
Michigan 4,292
Ohio 4,871
Wisconsin 2,695

Psychology Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
General Psychology 141,695
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology 33,758
Child Development & Psychology 17,542
Other Psychology 2,683

Related Major Annual Graduates
Education 327,871
Social Sciences 205,984
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 Nevit Dilmen.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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