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2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois

27 Ranked Colleges
1,211 Degrees Awarded
$18,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Public Administration & Social Service is the 14th most popular major in the country with 97,666 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, public administration and social service graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $39,142 and had an average of $32,304 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 4,107 public administration and social service graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,470 and $33,864 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,211 public administration and social service graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 27 colleges that offer a degree in public administration and social service. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great public administration and social service programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the public administration and social service program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Public Administration & Social Service Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration & Social Service in Illinois

#1

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Illinois State is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 51 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students list, Illinois State has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State University is $20,895 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Illinois State University

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to 78 students in 2019-2020.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $15,880 for illinois bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#3

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

Out of the 27 schools in the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Illinois University landed the #3 spot on the list. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 39 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $16,210 for illinois bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students per year to attend Western Illinois University.

Full Western Illinois University Public Administration & Social Service Report

#4

Saint Augustine College

Chicago, Illinois
#13 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saint Augustine College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Saint Augustine College is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 25 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.

St. Augustine College also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $12,193 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students per year to attend Saint Augustine College.

Full St. Augustine College Public Administration & Social Service Report

#12 in overall quality

Out of the 27 schools in the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #5 spot on the list. SIUE is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 38 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUE not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $14,423 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students per year to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

#11 in overall quality

Northeastern Illinois University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 132 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s public administration and social service students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northeastern Illinois University, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern Illinois University is $15,843 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Northeastern Illinois University

#7

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois
#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Governors State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. This small school is located in University Park, Illinois, and it awarded 44 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

GSU also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #17. It costs about $12,077 for illinois bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students per year to attend Governors State University.

Full GSU Public Administration & Social Service Report

#18 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. University of Illinois at Springfield is a small public school situated in Springfield, Illinois. It awarded 22 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIS, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIS is $12,477 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at UIS

#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC also took the #8 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $13,312 for illinois bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students.

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%.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at University of Illinois at Chicago

#14 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 47 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SIUC is $16,945 for illinois bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at SIUC

#11

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#22 in overall quality

Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 22 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s public administration and social service students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students list, NIU has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $18,259 for illinois bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students per year to attend NIU.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at NIU

#12

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

Aurora University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Aurora University is located in Aurora, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 141 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students list, Aurora has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Aurora is $17,215 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Aurora University

#13

University of Phoenix - Illinois

Schaumburg, Illinois

University of Phoenix - Illinois ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. This small school is located in Schaumburg, Illinois, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full UOPX - Illinois Public Administration & Social Service Report

#14

National Louis University

Chicago, Illinois
#23 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, National Louis University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to 45 students in 2019-2020.

NLU also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #23. The yearly cost to attend National Louis University is $14,957 for illinois bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at NLU

#15

Judson University

Elgin, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

Judson University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #15. Judson University is located in Elgin, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.

Judson also took the #10 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $18,737 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students per year to attend Judson University.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Judson University

#16

Quincy University

Quincy, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #16, Quincy University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Quincy University is located in Quincy, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.

Quincy U also took the #9 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Quincy University is $17,497 for illinois bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Quincy U

#17

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #17, Bradley University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. This medium-sized school is located in Peoria, Illinois, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

Bradley also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend Bradley is $25,634 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full Bradley Public Administration & Social Service Report

#18

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois
#16 in overall quality

With a ranking of #18, Olivet Nazarene University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. This small school is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Olivet Nazarene, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Olivet Nazarene is $20,195 for illinois bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students.

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%.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Olivet Nazarene University

#19

University of St Francis

Joliet, Illinois
#19 in overall quality

With a ranking of #19, University of St Francis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. University of St Francis is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Joliet, Illinois. It awarded 11 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Saint Francis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of St Francis is $17,538 for illinois bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at University of Saint Francis

#20

Trinity Christian College

Palos Heights, Illinois
#24 in overall quality

With a ranking of #20, Trinity Christian College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Trinity Christian College is a small school located in Palos Heights, Illinois that handed out 7 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

Trinity Christian also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #24. It costs about $21,904 for illinois bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students per year to attend Trinity Christian College.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Trinity Christian College Public Administration & Social Service Report

#21

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois
#20 in overall quality

Dominican University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Located in River Forest, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 5 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public administration and social service students in 2019-2020.

Dominican U did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Dominican U is $19,268 for illinois bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Dominican U

#22

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, Illinois
#25 in overall quality

With a ranking of #22, Concordia University, Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Concordia University, Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in River Forest, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Concordia University, Chicago also took the #25 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Concordia University, Chicago is $16,512 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Concordia University, Chicago

#23

Millikin University

Decatur, Illinois
#21 in overall quality

Millikin University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #23. Millikin is located in Decatur, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students list, Millikin has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Millikin is $21,331 for illinois bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Millikin University

#24

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. DePaul University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 5 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $30,090 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students per year to attend DePaul.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 Public Administration & Social Service at DePaul

#25

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#15 in overall quality

Loyola University Chicago came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 57 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $35,407 for illinois bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students per year to attend Loyola Chicago.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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 full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Loyola University Chicago

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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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