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2026 Best Value African Studies Schools in Illinois

[African Studies](/majors/ethnic-cultural-gender-studies/area-studies/african-studies/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.

For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools to find the best return on investment for african studies students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value African Studies Schools in Illinois

2026 Best Value African Studies Schools in Illinois

If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the african studies degrees they offer, see the list below.

Best Value African Studies Schools

1

University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign
Champaign, IL

$18,267 In-State Tuition & Fees

$22,050 Avg Student Debt

$81,054 Median Earnings (10yr)

University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign tops our 2026 list of the best value african studies schools in Illinois. University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is a very large public school located in the city of Champaign. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $18,267, compared with $40,096 for out-of-state students. African Studies graduates carry a median of $22,050 in student loans. African Studies graduates of University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign earn a median of $24,332 early in their careers. Set against $22,050 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 42% of applicants are accepted.

2

University Of Chicago
Chicago, IL

$69,324 In-State Tuition & Fees

$15,854 Avg Student Debt

$91,885 Median Earnings (10yr)

The strong cost-to-outcome balance at University Of Chicago earned it the #2 place for african studies. Set in the city of Chicago, University Of Chicago is a very large private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $69,324. Students borrow a median of $15,854 to complete the african studies program here. Soon after graduation, african studies degree recipients from University Of Chicago generally make around $38,008. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. University Of Chicago admits about 4% of applicants.

View All African Studies Rankings >

Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 5 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.