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2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

14 Ranked Colleges
1,729 Degrees Awarded
$21,900 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master's in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

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 Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Social Work is the 12th most popular major in the country with 57,618 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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 master’s degree level specifically, there were 1,729 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 14 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in social work. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent social work programs, but they also 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 social work program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Social Work Schools

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 Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

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

Top 14 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

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 Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 199 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UChicago are $61,548, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Social Work at University of Chicago

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 Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 151 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #3 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Social Work Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school handed out 248 degrees to qualified masters’s social work students in 2019-2020.

UIC also took the #5 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’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 University of Illinois at Chicago are $27,036.

Read full report on Social Work at UIC

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. SIUE is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 29 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUE also made our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #9. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville are $9,300.

Read more about Social Work at SIUE

#5

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Governors State University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. University Park, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 48 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k list, GSU has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Social Work 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 Social Work at Governors State University

#6

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois

Aurora University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Aurora, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 460 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 Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Aurora are $13,200, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Aurora Social Work Report

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 91 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SIUC are $32,928, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Social Work at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#8

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school handed out 27 degrees to qualified masters’s social work students in 2019-2020.

Illinois State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois State University are $11,069, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Social Work at Illinois State

#9

University of St Francis

Joliet, Illinois

University of St Francis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. University of Saint Francis is a small school located in Joliet, Illinois that handed out 26 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Saint Francis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Social Work 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 University of Saint Francis are $13,839.

Read full report on Social Work at University of Saint Francis

#10

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois

Dominican University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in River Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 77 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Dominican U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Social Work 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 Dominican University are $20,884.

Full Dominican U Social Work Report

#14 in overall quality

Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 42 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k list, Northeastern Illinois University has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northeastern Illinois University are $17,032, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Social Work at Northeastern Illinois University

#12

Chicago State University

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago State University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Chicago State University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSU, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’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 CSU are $15,056.

Full Chicago State University Social Work Report

#13

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 249 students in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago also took the #2 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Loyola Chicago are $19,154, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Social Work at Loyola University Chicago

#14

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.

DePaul also took the #12 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul are $19,760, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Social Work at DePaul University

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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