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Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

21 Colleges
$26,286 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$41,772 Avg Salary

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.

2023 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Illinois

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

Top 10 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools

#1

Governors State University

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

Our analysis found Governors State University to be the best value school for public administration and social service students who want to pursue a degree in Illinois. GSU is a small public school located in the rural area of University Park.

GSU undergraduate students pay an average of $10,108 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, public administration and social service graduates from GSU take out $29,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Governors State University

$13,297 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Illinois University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois list. WIU is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Macomb.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WIU are $13,297 per 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.

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

$13,968 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Illinois State University is a great value for public administration and social service students. Located in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Illinois State undergraduate students pay an average of $13,968 in in-state tuition and fees each 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.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Illinois State also did well on our Best Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read More…

$12,053 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Illinois at Springfield. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Springfield, UIS is a public school with a small student population.

UIS undergraduate students pay an average of $12,053 in in-state tuition and fees each 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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$11,496 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration and social service schools in Illinois. Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public school 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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$14,738 Average Tuition & Fees

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.

In-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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$17,634 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois ranking. UIUC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Champaign.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UIUC are $17,634 a 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 made our Best Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #3.

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$12,064 Average Tuition & Fees

Northeastern Illinois University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value public administration and social service programs. Located in the large city of Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University is a public school 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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#9

Aurora University

Aurora, IL
$26,760 Average Tuition & Fees

Aurora University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois list. Located in the large 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.

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

$15,603 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value public administration and social service programs. Located in the large city of Chicago, UIC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UIC are $15,603 a year.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at University of Illinois at Chicago Report

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

Explore all the Best Value 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.

  • 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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