2023 Best Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois
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
Our 2023 rankings named Northwestern University the best school in Illinois for public administration and social service students. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the 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.
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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 college 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.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois list. UIUC is a very large public school located in the 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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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois list. WIU is a medium-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.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Aurora University is a great place for public administration and social service students. Located in the large suburb of Aurora, Aurora is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-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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Illinois State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public school with a fairly 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.
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Olivet Nazarene University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois 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.
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With a ranking of #8, Dominican University did quite well on this year’s best schools for public administration and social service students. Dominican U is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of River Forest.
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Loyola University Chicago landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public administration and social service programs. Loyola Chicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large 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.
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University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the large city of Chicago, UIC is a public school with a very large student population.
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Request InformationBest Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
Explore all the Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools 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 |
More Public Administration & Social Service Rankings in Illinois
Rankings in Majors Related to Public Administration & Social Service
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.