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2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois

10 Ranked Colleges
96 Degrees Awarded
$27,200 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master's in Illinois

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 48,597 people earned their degree in political science and government, making the major the 21st most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, political science and government graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $33,977 and had an average of $22,822 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 1,532 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,277 and $22,016 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 96 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois” ranking looked at 10 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in political science and government. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent political science and government programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the political science and government program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois.

Top 10 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Political Science & Government in Illinois

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s political science degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #3 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#2

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Illinois State is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 9 masters’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois State, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois State University are $11,069, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Illinois State

#3

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Eastern Illinois University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois. Located in Charleston, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 13 degrees to qualified masters’s political science students in 2019-2020.

EIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Eastern Illinois University are $20,761.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Eastern Illinois University

#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Springfield. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois. Springfield, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s political science degrees to 22 students in 2019-2020.

UIS also took the #8 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIS are $16,757, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UIS Political Science & Government Report

#10 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northeastern Illinois University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 5 masters’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree political science students list, Northeastern Illinois University has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northeastern Illinois University are $17,032, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Political Science & Government Report

#6

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

With a ranking of #6, Western Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois list. Western Illinois University is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 masters’s political science degrees to qualified students.

WIU also took the #9 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Western Illinois University are $11,996, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Western Illinois University

#5 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois ranking. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 3 masters’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree political science students list, UIC has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIC are $27,036, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Illinois at Chicago

#8

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

Loyola University Chicago ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois list. Loyola University Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 masters’s political science degrees to qualified students.

Loyola Chicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Loyola University Chicago are $19,154.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Loyola University Chicago

#9

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

Northwestern University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #9. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern also made our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern University are $56,567, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Northwestern University

#10

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

University of Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #10. UChicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 9 masters’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UChicago are $61,548.

Full University of Chicago Political Science & Government Report

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Notes and References

References

  • 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 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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