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2023 Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Illinois

10 Ranked Colleges
414 Degrees Awarded
$25,900 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Admin for a Master's

When it comes to choosing a college, veterans have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Admin for a Master’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Public Administration is the 49th most popular major in the country with 16,897 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

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

For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Admin for a Master’s” ranking, we looked at 10 colleges that offer a degree in public administration. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent public administration programs, but they also offer a lot of support to 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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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Admin for a Master’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Admin for a Master’s

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree vets studying public admin.

Top 10 Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Illinois

1

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Admin for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #1 spot on the list. UIC is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 54 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIC, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” 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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $23,878. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%.

Full UIC Veteran Student Life Report

2

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

SIUE did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Among the 12,860 students enrolled at SIUE, 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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $23,082. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville 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 for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, DePaul University landed the #3 spot on the list. DePaul is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 50 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

DePaul did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Our most recent data shows that 528 of the 21,922 students enrolled at DePaul University were GI Bill® students, of which 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. In addition to receiving other benefits, 101 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 veteran student life at DePaul University]](/colleges/depaul-university/student-life/veterans/)

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 for a Master’s. Aurora University is a medium-sized school located in Aurora, Illinois that handed out 29 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Aurora not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.According to our most recent data, Aurora supports 6,265 students, and 3 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,999. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Aurora offers 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 full report on veteran student life at Aurora University]](/colleges/aurora-university/student-life/veterans/)

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Springfield. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Admin for a Master’s list. Located in Springfield, Illinois, this small public school handed out 48 diplomas to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIS, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Of the 4,146 students enrolled at University of Illinois at Springfield, 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 tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,253. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for 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%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Illinois at Springfield]](/colleges/university-of-illinois-at-springfield/student-life/veterans/)

6

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

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Of the 11,366 students enrolled at SIUC, 1 were 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. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. SIUC does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Full SIUC Veteran Student Life Report

7
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Admin for a Master’s ranking. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 69 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.According to our most recent data, Northwestern supports 22,603 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $399. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

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 low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%. 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.

Read More…

8

With a ranking of #8, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Admin for a Master’s list. Northern Illinois University is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 35 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

NIU also made our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #6.According to our most recent data, NIU supports 16,769 students, and 480 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 207 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,822. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Read More…

9
GSU crest
Governors State University
University Park, Illinois

Governors State University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Admin for a Master’s ranking. University Park, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 19 students in 2020-2021.

GSU also made our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #9.Of the 4,650 students enrolled at Governors State University, 146 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 80 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,291. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Governors State University offers credit for military training for eligible students.

Read More…

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 for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #10. National Louis University is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 15 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

NLU also took the #10 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.According to our most recent data, NLU supports 7,402 students, and 15 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 14 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $9,078. During this same period, 1 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 National Louis University]](/colleges/national-louis-university/student-life/veterans/)

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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