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2023 Best Public Administration Colleges for Veterans in Illinois

10 Ranked Colleges
446 Degrees Awarded
$25,900 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Admin

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, veterans have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Admin” ranking.

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.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Admin” ranking analyzed 10 colleges that offered a degree in public administration. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great public administration programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the public administration program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Admin”.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Admin

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

Top 10 Best Public Administration Colleges for Veterans in Illinois

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Admin list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 55 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our illinois vets studying public admin list, UIC has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 33,518 students enrolled at UIC, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $23,878. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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

Full University of Illinois at Chicago Veteran Student Life Report

2

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Admin that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #2 spot on the list. SIUE is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 37 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

SIUE not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 12,860 students enrolled at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 3 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $23,082. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Full SIUE Veteran Student Life Report

3
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Admin that were part of this year’s ranking, DePaul University landed the #3 spot on the list. DePaul University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 50 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

DePaul not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 21,922 students enrolled at DePaul, 528 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 367 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $14,957. On top of their other funding sources, 101 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. DePaul does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

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

Read More…

4
Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Aurora University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Admin. Aurora University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Aurora, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 29 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Aurora also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 6,265 students enrolled at Aurora University, 3 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,999. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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

Full Aurora University Veteran Student Life Report

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Springfield. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Admin. University of Illinois at Springfield is located in Springfield, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 71 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

UIS also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 4,146 students enrolled at UIS, 214 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 106 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,253. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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

Full UIS Veteran Student Life Report

6

Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Admin ranking. SIUC is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

SIUC also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 11,366 students enrolled at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Veteran Student Life Report

7
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Admin ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 75 diplomas to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 22,603 students enrolled at Northwestern University were GI Bill® students, of which 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $399. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

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 excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Northwestern University]](/colleges/northwestern-university/student-life/veterans/)

8

Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Admin ranking, coming in at #8. NIU is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 35 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

NIU also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Of the 16,769 students enrolled at NIU, 480 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 207 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,822. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Read More…

9
GSU crest
Governors State University
University Park, Illinois

With a ranking of #9, Governors State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Admin list. Governors State University is a public institution located in University Park, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 19 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

GSU also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 146 of the 4,650 students enrolled at GSU were GI Bill® students, of which 80 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,291. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

[Read full report on veteran student life at GSU]](/colleges/governors-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

10
NLU crest
National Louis University
Chicago, Illinois

National Louis University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Admin ranking, coming in at #10. National Louis University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 15 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

NLU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 7,402 students enrolled at NLU, 15 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 14 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,078. During this same period, 1 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. NLU offers credit for military training for eligible students.

Full NLU Veteran Student Life Report

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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