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2022 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

7 Ranked Colleges
654 Degrees Awarded
$14,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Policy Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Public Policy Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 6,199 people earned their degree in public policy, making the major the 116th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, public policy graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $52,077 and had an average of $35,743 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 654 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $51,600 and $37,312 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 7 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public policy. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent public policy 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 public policy program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Public Policy Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Public Policy Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Policy Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 7 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 511 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago also made our “Best Public Policy Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for UChicago is $2,712 for illinois public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of Chicago Public Policy Report

#2

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 66 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

Northwestern also took the #2 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $1,866 for Illinois Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%. 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Public Policy at Northwestern

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Illinois at Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 27 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

UIC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $10,648 for illinois public policy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Illinois at Chicago.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Illinois at Chicago Public Policy Report

#4

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Olivet Nazarene University landed the #4 spot on the list. Olivet Nazarene is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Olivet Nazarene, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $15,806 for Illinois Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Olivet Nazarene University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Policy at Olivet Nazarene

#5

National Louis University

Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend National Louis University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois public policy students whose families make $0-$30k list, NLU has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for NLU is $14,178 for illinois public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Public Policy at National Louis University

#6

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #6, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 12 ’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago also made our “Best Public Policy Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola Chicago is $29,440 for illinois public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Public Policy at Loyola Chicago

#7

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. DePaul University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 27 ’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul also made our “Best Public Policy Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul University is $26,173 for Illinois Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full DePaul University Public Policy Report

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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