2026 Best Value Applied Psychology Schools in Illinois
[Applied Psychology](/majors/psychology/clinical-counseling-applied-psychology/applied-psychology/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 4 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for applied psychology students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Applied Psychology Schools in Illinois
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the applied psychology degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Applied Psychology Schools
Our analysis ranked University Of Illinois At Chicago the best value for a degree in applied psychology in Illinois. Located in the city of Chicago, University Of Illinois At Chicago is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $15,949 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $32,009. Applied Psychology graduates carry a median of $20,115 in student loans. Applied Psychology graduates of University Of Illinois At Chicago earn a median of $61,829 early in their careers. Set against $20,115 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. University Of Illinois At Chicago admits about 77% of applicants.
Judson University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value applied psychology schools. Located in the city of Elgin, Judson University is a small private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $30,297. Applied Psychology graduates carry a median of $27,685 in student loans. Applied Psychology graduates of Judson University earn a median of $45,486 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 48%.
A rank of #3 makes Loyola University Chicago one of the best values for applied psychology. Loyola University Chicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $53,710. Applied Psychology graduates carry a median of $23,521 in student loans. Early-career applied psychology graduates make about $67,469. That is a strong return on a $23,521 median debt. Loyola University Chicago admits about 82% of applicants.
More Applied Psychology Rankings
View All Applied Psychology Rankings >
Notes and References
The ranking above is published 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 · 4 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 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.
