2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service School for You
Out of all the majors we analyze each year, public administration and social service was ranked #14 in the country. In fact 98,583 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.
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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This report analyzed 108 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best value programs for public administration and social service students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 15% Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global the best value school in the Great Lakes Region for public administration and social service students. IWU is a large private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Marion.
IWU undergraduate students pay an average of $9,239 in tuition and fees each year. Public Administration & Social Service majors at IWU take out an average of $41,872 in student loans while working on their egree.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Central Ohio Technical College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. COTC is a small public school located in the suburb of Newark.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at COTC are $7,656 a year. After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from COTC carry an average student debtload of $14,168.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Youngstown State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Youngstown State University is a large public school located in the small city of Youngstown.
Youngstown State University undergraduate students pay an average of $9,732 in tuition and fees each year. On average, public administration and social service graduates from Youngstown State University take out $39,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - River Falls is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of River Falls.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - River Falls are $15,661 a year. On average, public administration and social service graduates from UW - River Falls take out $28,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
UW - River Falls also claimed a spot on our Best Public & Social Service Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Ottawa University - Milwaukee is a great value for public administration and social service students. Ottawa University - Milwaukee is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Brookfield.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ottawa University - Milwaukee are $12,616 per year. The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at Ottawa University - Milwaukee take out is $43,673.
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Spring Arbor University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Spring Arbor is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Spring Arbor.
Spring Arbor undergraduate students pay an average of $31,080 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from Spring Arbor carry an average student debtload of $29,893.
Full Public Administration & Social Service at Spring Arbor University Report
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Ferris State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the distant town of Big Rapids, Ferris is a public college with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ferris are $13,188 per year. While working on their degree, public administration and social service majors at Ferris accumulate an average of around $26,250 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $176, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Stark State College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value public administration and social service programs. Stark State College is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of North Canton.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Stark State College are $7,406 a year. After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from Stark State College carry an average student debtload of $29,672.
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University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UW - Eau Claire is a large public school located in the small city of Eau Claire.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Eau Claire are $17,149 a year. The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at UW - Eau Claire take out is $23,961.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UW - Eau Claire also did well on our Best Public & Social Service Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
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Indiana Institute of Technology - College of Professional Studies did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the large city of Fort-Wayne, Indiana Tech - CPS is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Indiana Tech - CPS are $10,224 a year. After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from Indiana Tech - CPS carry an average student debtload of $47,683.
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Western Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #11 on the list. WIU is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Macomb.
WIU undergraduate students pay an average of $13,297 in tuition and fees each year. 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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With a ranking of #12, University of Wisconsin - Superior did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration and social service students. UW - Superior is a small public school located in the midsize suburb of Superior.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Superior are $15,728 a year. On average, public administration and social service graduates from UW - Superior take out $29,333 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Ohio Christian University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value public administration and social service programs. Located in the distant town of Circleville, OCU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at OCU are $14,395 a year. The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at OCU take out is $26,779.
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With a ranking of #14, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration and social service students. Located in the large suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public college with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SIUE are $11,496 per year. While working on their degree, public administration and social service majors at SIUE accumulate an average of around $25,000 in student debt.
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Northern Illinois University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NIU are $14,738 per year. Public Administration & Social Service majors at NIU take out an average of $26,989 in student loans while working on their egree.
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University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value public administration and social service programs. Located in the small city of Oshkosh, UW Oshkosh is a public school with a large student population.
UW Oshkosh undergraduate students pay an average of $15,306 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, public administration and social service majors at UW Oshkosh accumulate an average of around $28,411 in student debt.
UW Oshkosh excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Public & Social Service Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
Full Public Administration & Social Service at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Report
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Here are some additional great value schools for Public & Social Service students in the Great Lakes Region seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | University of Akron Main Campus | Akron, OH |
| 18 | University of Wisconsin - Whitewater | Whitewater, WI |
| 19 | Saint Augustine College | Chicago, IL |
| 20 | Aurora University | Aurora, IL |
| 20 | Rasmussen University - Wisconsin | Green Bay, WI |
Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges by State
Explore the best public administration and social service colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Indiana | 3,206 |
| Michigan | 3,411 |
| Ohio | 3,030 |
| Illinois | 3,948 |
| Wisconsin | 1,299 |
More Public Administration & Social Service Rankings in the Great Lakes Region
Public Administration & Social Service Related Majors for 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 25 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 University of the Fraser Valley.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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