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Most Popular Social Work Schools in Illinois

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2023 Most Popular Social Work Schools in Illinois

43 Colleges
$37,486 Avg Salary
$25,281 Avg Student Debt

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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Most Popular Social Work Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 43 schools in Illinois to see which programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Social Work program at each school on the list.

The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Social Work Colleges.

#1

Aurora University

Aurora, IL

Our 2023 rankings named Aurora University the most popular school in Illinois for social work students. Aurora is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Aurora.

After completing their degree, social work graduates from Aurora carry an average student debt load of $27,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $135.

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Loyola University Chicago is a great place for social work students. Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Social Work majors at Loyola Chicago take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $685, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Illinois at Chicago is a great place for social work students. UIC is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Chicago.

Read full report on Social Work at University of Illinois at Chicago

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 #4 on this year’s Most Popular Social Work Schools in Illinois list. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, social work graduates from UIUC carry an average student debt load of $19,050. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $418.

Full Social Work at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report

#5

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

Out of the 43 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the # 5 spot on the list. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

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Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for social work students. It came in at #6 on the list. Northeastern Illinois University is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Chicago.

While working on their degree, social work majors at Northeastern Illinois University accumulate an average of around $15,232 in student debt.

Read full report on Social Work at Northeastern Illinois University

With a ranking of #7, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for social work students. SIUC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Carbondale.

While working on their degree, social work majors at SIUC accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $149.

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Illinois State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Social Work Schools in Illinois ranking. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal.

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.

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#9

Governors State University

University Park, IL

With a ranking of #9, Governors State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for social work students. Located in the rural area of University Park, GSU is a public school with a small student population.

After completing their degree, social work graduates from GSU carry an average student debt load of $29,000.

Full Social Work at Governors State University Report

#10

Dominican University

River Forest, IL

Dominican University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular social work programs. Located in the large suburb of River Forest, Dominican U is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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Best Social Work Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Most Popular 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

One of 5 majors within the area of study, social work has other similar majors worth exploring.

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 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 Army Medicine.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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