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2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

11 Ranked Colleges
426 Degrees Awarded
$21,600 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master's in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

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 “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Public Administration is the 58th most popular major in the country with 17,269 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, public administration graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $48,859 and had an average of $42,077 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 457 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $46,625 and $39,969 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 426 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 11 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public administration. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great public administration programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the public administration program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree public admin students with aid.

Top 11 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration in Illinois (With Aid)

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 91 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree public admin students with aid list, UIC has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIC are $27,036, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UIC Public Administration Report

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Springfield is a small school located in Springfield, Illinois that handed out 63 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

UIS also took the #3 spot in our “Best Public Administration 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.

Read full report on Public Administration at UIS

#3

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Governors State University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in University Park, Illinois, and it awarded 6 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at GSU, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Governors State University are $14,674, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Public Administration at GSU

#4

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. NIU is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 32 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. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Northern Illinois University are $11,086.

Read full report on Public Administration at Northern Illinois University

#5

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 85 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

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

Read full report on Public Administration at Northwestern University

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 29 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUE also took the #7 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SIUE are $9,300, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Public Administration at SIUE

#7

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Aurora University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Aurora, Illinois, and it awarded 14 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree public admin students with aid list, Aurora has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Aurora University are $13,200, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Public Administration at Aurora University

#8

National Louis University

Chicago, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

National Louis University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.

NLU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Public Administration 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 NLU are $12,096.

Read more about Public Administration at NLU

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 6 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree public admin students with aid list, SIUC has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Southern Illinois University Carbondale are $32,928, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Public Administration at SIUC

#10

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 8 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

Roosevelt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Roosevelt University are $21,605, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Roosevelt University Public Administration Report

#11

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #11, DePaul University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. DePaul is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 42 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Public Administration 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 DePaul University are $19,760.

Full DePaul University Public Administration 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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