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Best Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois

21 Colleges
$41,772 Avg Salary
$26,600 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service School for You

With 3,948 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, public administration and social service is the #13 most popular major in Illinois.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 21 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best for public administration and social service majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Our analysis found Northwestern University to be the best school for public administration and social service students who want to pursue a degree in Illinois. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Evanston.

On average, public administration and social service graduates from Northwestern take out $16,780 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Northwestern University

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois list. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at UChicago take out is $16,683.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at University of Chicago

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois list. UIUC is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Champaign.

Public Administration & Social Service majors at UIUC take out an average of $19,050 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $418, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Out of the 21 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Illinois University landed the # 4 spot on the list. WIU is a moderately-sized public school located in the remote town of Macomb.

On average, public administration and social service graduates from WIU take out $31,000 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $228.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Western Illinois University

#5

Aurora University

Aurora, IL

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Aurora University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois list. Located in the suburb of Aurora, Aurora is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at Aurora take out is $27,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $135.

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With a ranking of #6, Illinois State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for public administration and social service students. Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at Illinois State take out is $25,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $160.

Read More…

#7

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, IL

Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #7 on the list. Olivet Nazarene is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Bourbonnais.

Public Administration & Social Service majors at Olivet Nazarene take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Olivet Nazarene University

#8

Dominican University

River Forest, IL

Dominican University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #8 on the list. Dominican U is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of River Forest.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Dominican University

Loyola University Chicago did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #9 on the list. Loyola Chicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

While working on their degree, public administration and social service majors at Loyola Chicago accumulate an average of around $25,000 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $685.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Loyola University Chicago

University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public college with a very large student population.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at University of Illinois at Chicago

Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Indiana 3,206
Michigan 3,411
Ohio 3,030
Wisconsin 1,299

Public Administration & Social Service Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 58,326
Public Administration 16,905
Human Services 13,238
Public Policy 6,430
Community Organization & Advocacy 3,096
Other Public Administration 588

Majors Similar to Public Administration & Social Service

Related Major Annual Graduates
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting 142,610
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies 73,813
Legal Professions 61,055
Military Technologies & Applied Sciences 4,477

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 21 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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 University of the Fraser Valley.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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