2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
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 Value Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 21 schools in Illinois 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 10 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Governors State University the best value school in Illinois for public administration and social service students. GSU is a small public school located in the rural area of University Park.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at GSU are $10,108 per year. On average, public administration and social service graduates from GSU take out $29,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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The excellent programs at Western Illinois University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration and social service schools in Illinois. WIU is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Macomb.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at WIU are $13,297 a 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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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois list. Located in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public school with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Illinois State are $13,968 a year. 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.
In addition to its great value ranking, Illinois State is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois list.
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Out of the 21 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Springfield landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of Springfield, UIS is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UIS are $12,053 a year. The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at UIS take out is $25,000.
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Out of the 21 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SIUE are $11,496 a 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 did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the small suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public college with a large student population.
NIU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,738 in in-state tuition and fees each 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 Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois list. UIUC is a very large public school located in the small city of Champaign.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIUC are $17,634 per year. 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.
UIUC also took the #3 spot in our Best Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois rankings.
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Northeastern 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 #8 on the list. Located in the city of Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northeastern Illinois University are $12,064 per year. Public Administration & Social Service majors at Northeastern Illinois University take out an average of $15,232 in student loans while working on their egree.
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With a ranking of #9, Aurora University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration and social service students. Located in the suburb of Aurora, Aurora is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
Aurora undergraduate students pay an average of $26,760 in in-state tuition and fees each year. 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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University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the large city of Chicago, UIC is a public college with a very large student population.
UIC undergraduate students pay an average of $15,603 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Request InformationBest Value Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
Explore all the Best Value 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
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 21 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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