College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Most Popular Colleges for Public Administration in Illinois

15 Ranked Colleges
446 Degrees Awarded
$27,600 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Illinois

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Illinois” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2020-2021, 16,897 people earned their degree in public administration, making the major the 49th most popular in the United States.

Across Illinois, there were 446 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 15 colleges that offer a degree in public administration. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular public administration programs in the United States.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Public Admin Rankings Other Ranking Categories

The public admin school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Illinois”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois public admin students.

1
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Illinois list. Northwestern University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 75 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Northwestern University Public Administration Report

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Springfield. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in Springfield, Illinois, and it awarded 71 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration at UIS

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Illinois list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 55 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Illinois at Chicago Public Administration Report

4
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend DePaul University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Illinois. DePaul University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 50 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full DePaul University Public Administration Report

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Illinois. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 37 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Public Administration at SIUE

6

Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 35 diplomas to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Public Administration at Northern Illinois University

7

With a ranking of #7, Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 31 students in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Administration at Illinois Tech

8
Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, Illinois

Aurora University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Illinois list. Aurora, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 29 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Administration at Aurora University

9
GSU crest
Governors State University
University Park, Illinois

Governors State University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in University Park, Illinois, and it awarded 19 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Public Administration at GSU

10
NLU crest
National Louis University
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #10, National Louis University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Illinois list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 15 diplomas to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

Full NLU Public Administration Report

11

Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Illinois ranking. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Public Administration at SIUC

11
Adler crest
Adler University
Chicago, Illinois

Adler University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #11. Adler University is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 10 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Public Administration at Adler

13
Roosevelt crest
Roosevelt University
Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #13. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Public Administration at Roosevelt University

14
Lewis crest
Lewis University
Romeoville, Illinois

Lewis University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. Lewis is a medium-sized school located in Romeoville, Illinois that handed out 2 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration at Lewis

15
Blackburn crest
Blackburn College
Carlinville, Illinois

Blackburn College ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Illinois list. Carlinville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 0 students in 2020-2021.

Full Blackburn Public Administration Report

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options