2023 Best Value Social Work Schools in Illinois
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Social Work School for You
With 2,711 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, social work is the #11 most popular major in Illinois.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Social Work Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 21 schools in Illinois to see which programs offered the best value experiences for social work students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Social Work Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Governors State University the best value school in Illinois for social work students. Located in the rural area of University Park, GSU is a public college with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at GSU are $10,108 per year. While working on their degree, social work majors at GSU accumulate an average of around $29,000 in student debt.
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Out of the 21 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Illinois University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
WIU undergraduate students pay an average of $13,297 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Social Work majors at WIU take out an average of $31,000 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $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 Social Work Schools in Illinois list. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Normal.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Illinois State are $13,968 per year. The average amount in student loans that social work majors at Illinois State take out is $25,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $160.
Illinois State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Social Work Schools in Illinois list.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a great value for social work students. SIUE is a large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SIUE are $11,496 a year. Social Work majors at SIUE take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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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. UIS is a small public school located in the medium-sized city of Springfield.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UIS are $12,053 a year. Social Work majors at UIS take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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With a ranking of #6, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on this year’s best value schools for social work students. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a very large student population.
UIUC undergraduate students pay an average of $17,634 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Social Work majors at UIUC take out an average of $19,050 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $418.
UIUC did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Social Work Schools in Illinois list.
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With a ranking of #7, Northeastern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for social work students. Northeastern Illinois University is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Chicago.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northeastern Illinois University are $12,064 per year. After completing their degree, social work graduates from Northeastern Illinois University carry an average student debtload of $15,232.
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Chicago State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for social work students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the large city of Chicago, CSU is a public college with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSU are $11,204 per year.
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With a ranking of #9, Saint Augustine College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for social work students. Located in the large city of Chicago, St. Augustine College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at St. Augustine College are $12,120 per year.
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With a ranking of #10, Aurora University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for social work students. Aurora is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Aurora.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Aurora are $26,760 a year. On average, social work graduates from Aurora take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $135.
Request InformationBest Value Social Work Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
Explore all the Best Value Social Work Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 2,413 |
| Ohio | 2,332 |
| Indiana | 1,545 |
| Wisconsin | 1,041 |
More Social Work Rankings in Illinois
Social Work Related Majors for Social Work
One of 5 majors within the area of study, social work has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Public Administration | 16,905 |
| Human Services | 13,238 |
| Public Policy | 6,430 |
| Community Organization & Advocacy | 3,096 |
| Other Public Administration | 588 |
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 Army Medicine.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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