2026 Best Value African American Studies Schools in Illinois
[African American Studies](/majors/ethnic-cultural-gender-studies/ethnic-studies/african-american-studies/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong african american studies education at a price that pays off.
College Factual analyzed 12 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value african american studies schools.
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2026 Best Value African American Studies Schools in Illinois
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in african american studies, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value African American Studies Schools
Our analysis ranked University Of Illinois At Chicago the best value for a degree in african american studies in Illinois. Set in the city of Chicago, University Of Illinois At Chicago is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $15,949, while out-of-state students pay about $32,009. Typical student debt for african american studies graduates is $19,448. Early-career african american studies graduates make about $33,366. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. University Of Illinois At Chicago admits about 77% of applicants.
A rank of #2 makes University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign one of the best values for african american studies. University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is a very large public school located in the city of Champaign. Students from in state pay about $18,267 in tuition and fees, compared with $40,096 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for african american studies graduates is $23,402. African American Studies graduates of University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign earn a median of $32,856 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign admits about 42% of applicants.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published 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 · 12 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.
