2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 57,618 people earned their degree in social work, making the major the 12th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, social work graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $36,459 and had an average of $30,084 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 2,654 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,589 and $33,608 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 25 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,900 and $148,219 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered a degree in social work. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality social work programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the social work program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Social Work Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 4 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$61,548 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$81,702 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. UChicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 doctorate’s social work degrees to qualified students.

UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Social Work Doctor’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 more about Social Work at UChicago

#2

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$30,083 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 doctorate’s social work degrees to qualified students.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Social Work at UIUC

#3

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois

#4 in overall quality

$13,200 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Aurora University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Aurora, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s social work degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Aurora, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Aurora University are $13,200.

Read full report on Social Work at Aurora University

#4

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$19,154 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Loyola University Chicago. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 3 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s social work students in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago also made our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at Loyola University Chicago are $19,154, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Social Work at Loyola University Chicago

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $0-$30k)

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 Army Medicine.

Featured Social Work Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >