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Best Value Sociology Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in Illinois

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

25 Colleges
$30,450 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$31,984 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Sociology School for You

In 2020-2021, 841 degrees and certificates were awarded to sociology students who went to a Illinois college or university. This makes it the #48 most popular major in the state.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Sociology Schools in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 25 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best value programs for sociology students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.

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

2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in Illinois

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

Top 10 Best Sociology Schools

$13,968 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Illinois State University to be the best value school for sociology students who want to pursue a degree in Illinois. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Illinois State are $13,968 per year. The average amount in student loans that sociology majors at Illinois State take out is $25,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $224, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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

Full Sociology at Illinois State University Report

$11,496 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in Illinois list. Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public school with a large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SIUE are $11,496 per year. While working on their degree, sociology majors at SIUE accumulate an average of around $29,494 in student debt.

Read full report on Sociology at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

$13,297 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 25 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Illinois University landed the # 3 spot on the list. WIU is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Macomb.

WIU undergraduate students pay an average of $13,297 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, sociology graduates from WIU carry an average student debtload of $38,132.

Read More…

#4

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL
$12,297 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 25 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Illinois University landed the # 4 spot on the list. EIU is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Charleston.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at EIU are $12,297 a year. The average amount in student loans that sociology majors at EIU take out is $26,250. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $129.

Read full report on Sociology at Eastern Illinois University

$17,634 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a great value for sociology students. UIUC is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Champaign.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UIUC are $17,634 a year. Sociology majors at UIUC take out an average of $20,500 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $301.

UIUC also took the #3 spot in our Best Sociology Schools in Illinois rankings.

Read full report on Sociology at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

$14,738 Average Tuition & Fees

Northern Illinois University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NIU are $14,738 per year. Sociology majors at NIU take out an average of $27,500 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $233.

Read full report on Sociology at Northern Illinois University

$12,064 Average Tuition & Fees

Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for sociology students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the large city of Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Northeastern Illinois University are $12,064 a year. On average, sociology graduates from Northeastern Illinois University take out $15,125 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Sociology at Northeastern Illinois University

$15,603 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for sociology students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the 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. On average, sociology graduates from UIC take out $20,250 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $136.

Read full report on Sociology at University of Illinois at Chicago

$15,240 Average Tuition & Fees

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value sociology programs. Located in the small city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SIUC are $15,240 per year. The average amount in student loans that sociology majors at SIUC take out is $23,250.

Read full report on Sociology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#10

Chicago State University

Chicago, IL
$11,204 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, Chicago State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for sociology students. CSU is a small public school located in the city of Chicago.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSU are $11,204 per year. After completing their degree, sociology graduates from CSU carry an average student debtload of $42,750.

Read full report on Sociology at Chicago State University

Best Value Sociology Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 551
Ohio 702
Indiana 471
Wisconsin 504

Sociology is one of 12 different types of programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 49,282
Economics 49,055
General Social Sciences 18,997
International Relations & National Security 14,306
Anthropology 11,415

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 Kontos.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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