Academically, UIC and DePaul are very similar. Culturally, though, they are very different. Both are respectable schools.
NIU is probably the best of the directional schools. It is not a research school, if that is an issue. It is decent. However, it is in a rural area. Do not confuse this school with Northeastern IL, which is not a good school.
If you are looking to save money, you might be able to commute to local schools.
One thing to remember, long term your school becomes less important and experience trumps everything. You need to ask yourself do s the debt worth it. I know people who are drowning in debt. Your ability to borrow money is limited because you are undergrad. You want to avoid private loans. Standard repayment schedule for $40k in debt assumes a 15 year period. That is how much I borrowed for my grad program.