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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Work in Illinois

15 Ranked Colleges
1,729 Degrees Awarded
$22,000 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master's in Illinois

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois” ranking.

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” ranking looked at 15 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the social work 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 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” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois

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

Top 15 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Work in Illinois

#1

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Aurora University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois. Aurora University is located in Aurora, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 460 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.

Aurora also took the #4 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Aurora University are $13,200, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Social Work at Aurora University

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. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 151 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.

UIUC also made our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #3. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083.

Read full report on Social Work at UIUC

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 248 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC also took the #5 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Chicago are $27,036, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Social Work at UIC

#4

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois list. Illinois State University is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 27 masters’s social work 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 full report on Social Work at Illinois State University

#5

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Loyola University Chicago. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois list. 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. 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 Chicago

#6

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 ranking, coming in at #6. University of St Francis is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Joliet, Illinois. It awarded 26 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Saint Francis also took the #6 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 Saint Francis are $13,839.

Read more about Social Work at University of Saint Francis

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville are $9,300, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Social Work at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

#8

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

Governors State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #8. Located in University Park, Illinois, this small public school awarded 48 degrees to qualified masters’s social work students in 2019-2020.

GSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 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 GSU are $14,674.

Full Governors State University Social Work Report

#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Northeastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 42 students in 2019-2020.

Northeastern Illinois University also made our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #14. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Northeastern Illinois University are $17,032.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Social Work Report

Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #10. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 91 students in 2019-2020.

SIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 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 Southern Illinois University Carbondale are $32,928.

Read full report on Social Work at SIUC

#11

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois

Dominican University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois ranking. Dominican U is a small school located in River Forest, Illinois that handed out 77 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Dominican U also made our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #10. Average graduate tuition and fees at Dominican U are $20,884, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Social Work at Dominican U

#12

Erikson Institute

Chicago, Illinois

Erikson Institute landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois ranking. The Erikson Institute is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 20 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree social work students list, The Erikson Institute has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at The Erikson Institute are $22,400, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Social Work at Erikson Institute

#13

Chicago State University

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small public school awarded 24 diplomas to qualified masters’s social work students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree social work students 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 Chicago State University are $15,056, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full CSU Social Work Report

#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 ranking. DePaul is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 15 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #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.

Full DePaul Social Work Report

#15

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Illinois ranking. UChicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 199 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.

UChicago also made our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UChicago are $61,548.

Full University of Chicago Social Work Report

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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