2026 Best Value Operations Research Schools in Illinois
[Operations Research](/majors/engineering/operations-research/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 3 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for operations research students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Operations Research Schools in Illinois
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in operations research, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Operations Research Schools
For return on investment in operations research, no school beat University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign this year. Set in the city of Champaign, University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is a very large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $18,267, compared with $40,096 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $20,778 to complete the operations research program here. Operations Research graduates of University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign earn a median of $57,461 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $20,778 median debt. Roughly 42% of applicants are accepted.
More Operations Research Rankings
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked 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 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
