Best-Value Colleges in Illinois
24 Illinois 4-year colleges ranked by return on investment — 10-year graduate earnings per dollar of net price — among schools that beat the state median on earnings and graduation rate.
The best-value college in Illinois is University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago — a net price of $10,974 against $68,740 in median 10-year earnings, an ROI of 6.3×, with a 60% graduation rate. Every school here turns a modest cost into outsized, above-median earnings.
| # | School | Net price /yr | 10-yr earnings | ROI (earn ÷ price) | Grad rate | In-state tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL | $10,974 | $68,740 | 6.3× | 60% | $14,338 |
| 2 | University of Chicago Chicago, IL | $14,860 | $91,885 | 6.2× | 95% | $70,662 |
| 3 | University of Illinois Springfield Springfield, IL | $9,833 | $57,103 | 5.8× | 61% | $12,252 |
| 4 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL | $14,355 | $81,054 | 5.6× | 85% | $16,004 |
| 5 | Saint Xavier University Chicago, IL | $10,970 | $58,656 | 5.3× | 59% | $37,940 |
| 6 | Dominican University River Forest, IL | $11,745 | $60,327 | 5.1× | 62% | $38,978 |
| 7 | University of St Francis Joliet, IL | $13,006 | $63,926 | 4.9× | 65% | $38,110 |
| 8 | Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL | $18,425 | $82,592 | 4.5× | 72% | $52,386 |
| 9 | Lewis University Romeoville, IL | $17,028 | $66,099 | 3.9× | 63% | $39,200 |
| 10 | Illinois State University Normal, IL | $19,398 | $62,117 | 3.2× | 66% | $16,144 |
| 11 | Northwestern University Evanston, IL | $29,167 | $89,363 | 3.1× | 96% | $68,322 |
| 12 | Bradley University Peoria, IL | $22,719 | $66,852 | 2.9× | 72% | $42,160 |
| 13 | Trinity Christian College Palos Heights, IL | $19,125 | $55,700 | 2.9× | 64% | $20,605 |
| 14 | North Central College Naperville, IL | $21,044 | $60,123 | 2.9× | 71% | $45,726 |
| 15 | Augustana College Rock Island, IL | $22,736 | $62,971 | 2.8× | 79% | $51,598 |
| 16 | Elmhurst University Elmhurst, IL | $24,185 | $61,462 | 2.5× | 65% | $42,955 |
| 17 | Illinois Wesleyan University Bloomington, IL | $28,199 | $70,871 | 2.5× | 83% | $57,704 |
| 18 | McKendree University Lebanon, IL | $24,717 | $58,572 | 2.4× | 60% | $34,740 |
| 19 | Wheaton College Wheaton, IL | $26,975 | $63,756 | 2.4× | 87% | $45,546 |
| 20 | Knox College Galesburg, IL | $24,595 | $54,820 | 2.2× | 68% | $57,903 |
| 21 | DePaul University Chicago, IL | $30,902 | $68,751 | 2.2× | 70% | $45,999 |
| 22 | Lake Forest College Lake Forest, IL | $28,673 | $61,825 | 2.2× | 70% | $56,402 |
| 23 | Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL | $36,079 | $71,530 | 2.0× | 77% | $53,710 |
| 24 | Methodist College Peoria, IL | $41,787 | $69,800 | 1.7× | 75% | $18,008 |
How we ranked this
From every Illinois four-year college that publishes net price, 10-year median earnings, and graduation rate, we keep only those that beat the state median on earnings and that graduate at least 45% of students (or the state median grad rate, whichever is higher). We then rank by ROI = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price — the dollars of graduate earnings each dollar of net price buys — highest first. This rewards genuine return on investment rather than the cheapest sticker price, and the 4-year + outcome guards keep out the low-completion and 2-year outliers a pure price sort surfaces. Colleges missing any of the three figures are excluded, never estimated. Minimum 5 qualifying schools required to publish a page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best-value college in Illinois?+
University of Illinois Chicago in Chicago has the highest return on investment among Illinois 4-year colleges that beat the state median on outcomes: a net price of $10,974 against $68,740 in 10-year median earnings — an ROI of 6.3× (dollars earned per dollar of annual net price) — with a 60% graduation rate.
What does "net price" mean?+
Net price is the average annual cost students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the full cost of attendance — a far better affordability measure than sticker tuition. We use the College Scorecard average net price.
How is "best value" defined here?+
Value means return on investment, not cheapness. Among Illinois four-year colleges that beat the state median on BOTH 10-year graduate earnings and graduation rate (and graduate at least 45% of students), we rank by the ROI ratio = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price. The school that turns each tuition dollar into the most graduate earnings ranks first.
Is the cheapest college always the best value?+
No. A rock-bottom price that leads to low earnings is worse value than a moderate price that leads to high earnings. That is exactly why we rank by the earnings-to-net-price ratio rather than by lowest price, and require above-median earnings and graduation rates first. Colleges missing net price, earnings, or graduation data are excluded rather than estimated.
Keep exploring
Data sources: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · IPEDS. Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “—” and never estimated. CertiHomes Education does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.