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Best Value Public Administration Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Value Public Administration Schools in Illinois

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

10 Colleges
$22,295 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$51,622 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Public Administration School for You

Public Administration is the #71 most popular major in Illinois with 446 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Public Administration Schools in Illinois to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 10 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best value programs for public admin students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Public Administration Schools in Illinois

Check out the public admin programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Public Administration Schools

#1

Governors State University

University Park, IL
$10,108 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Governors State University the best value school in Illinois for public administration students. Located in the rural area of University Park, GSU is a public school with a small student population.

GSU undergraduate students pay an average of $10,108 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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$14,738 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Schools in Illinois list. NIU is a large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.

NIU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,738 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Public Administration at Northern Illinois University

$12,053 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 10 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Springfield landed the # 3 spot on the list. UIS is a small public school located in the city of Springfield.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIS are $12,053 per year.

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$11,496 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Public Administration Schools in Illinois list. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SIUE are $11,496 per year.

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#5

Aurora University

Aurora, IL
$26,760 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Aurora University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration schools in Illinois. Aurora is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Aurora.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Aurora are $26,760 a year.

Read full report on Public Administration at Aurora University

$15,603 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for public administration students. It came in at #6 on the list. UIC is a very large public school located in the city of Chicago.

UIC undergraduate students pay an average of $15,603 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Public Administration at University of Illinois at Chicago

#7

DePaul University

Chicago, IL
$42,012 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, DePaul University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration students. Located in the large city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at DePaul are $42,012 per year.

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$15,240 Average Tuition & Fees

Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for public administration students. It came in at #8 on the list. SIUC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Carbondale.

SIUC undergraduate students pay an average of $15,240 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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$14,169 Average Tuition & Fees

National Louis University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Schools in Illinois list. NLU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at NLU are $14,169 a year.

Full Public Administration at National Louis University Report

#10

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL
$60,768 Average Tuition & Fees

Northwestern University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for public administration students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northwestern are $60,768 per year.

Northwestern also made our Best Public Administration Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #1.

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Best Value Public Administration Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Value Public Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 386
Ohio 443
Indiana 1,198
Wisconsin 91

Public Administration is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to Public Admin

Related Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 58,326
Human Services 13,238
Public Policy 6,430
Community Organization & Advocacy 3,096
Other Public Administration 588

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 10 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 the rest 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to The Official CTBTO Photostream.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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