2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in Illinois (With 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 Policy Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 382 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 5 colleges that offered a degree in public policy. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public policy programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the public policy program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Public Policy Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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.

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

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid.

Top 5 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in Illinois (With Aid)

#1

University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$27,036 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Public Policy 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. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school awarded 2 degrees to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2019-2020.

UIC also took the #3 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIC are $27,036, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Public Policy at UIC

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$61,548 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$73,823 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. UChicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 337 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Public Policy 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 UChicago are $61,548.

Read full report on Public Policy at UChicago

#3

National Louis University

Chicago, Illinois

$12,096 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$52,107 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend National Louis University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. NLU is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

NLU also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #0. Average graduate tuition and fees at National Louis University are $12,096, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full NLU Public Policy Report

#4

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

#4 in overall quality

$19,760 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$47,260 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, DePaul University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 22 diplomas to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2019-2020.

DePaul did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul University are $19,760, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Public Policy at DePaul

#5

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$19,154 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Loyola University Chicago landed the #5 spot on the list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s public policy degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Loyola Chicago are $19,154, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Public Policy at Loyola Chicago

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (With Aid)

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.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to The Official CTBTO Photostream.

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