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2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

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 Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 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 Getting Aid” ranking looked at 14 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in social work. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great social work programs and 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 Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools 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 Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

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

Top 14 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Work in Illinois (With Aid)

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 151 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Social Work at UIUC

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school handed out 248 degrees to qualified masters’s social work students in 2019-2020.

UIC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIC are $27,036, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Social Work at University of Illinois at Chicago

#3

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Governors State University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. GSU is a small public school situated in University Park, Illinois. It awarded 48 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

GSU also took the #13 spot 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.

Full Governors State University Social Work Report

#4

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Aurora University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Aurora University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Aurora, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 460 masters’s degrees 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 you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Social Work at Aurora University

#5

Chicago State University

Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Chicago State University landed the #5 spot on the list. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 24 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree social work students with aid list, CSU has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at CSU are $15,056, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Social Work at Chicago State University

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 29 students 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 SIUE are $9,300.

Read full report on Social Work at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

With a ranking of #7, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. SIUC is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 91 masters’s 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. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at SIUC are $32,928.

Read full report on Social Work at SIUC

#14 in overall quality

Northeastern Illinois University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 42 degrees to qualified masters’s social work students in 2019-2020.

Northeastern Illinois University also took the #14 spot 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

#9

University of St Francis

Joliet, Illinois

University of St Francis landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of St Francis is located in Joliet, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.

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.

Full University of Saint Francis Social Work Report

#10

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois

With a ranking of #10, Dominican University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in River Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 77 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Dominican U did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Dominican University are $20,884, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Dominican U Social Work Report

#11

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Illinois State is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 27 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also made our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #7. Average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois State University are $11,069, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Social Work at Illinois State University

#12

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 199 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago also made our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at UChicago are $61,548, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Social Work at UChicago

#13

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 249 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago also took the #2 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 Loyola University Chicago are $19,154.

Read full report on Social Work at Loyola University Chicago

#14

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 15 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul are $19,760, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Social Work at DePaul

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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