by our College Data Analytics Team
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 “Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 58,326 people earned their degree in social work, making the major the 13th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, social work graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $37,651 and had an average of $26,679 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 2,720 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,486 and $25,281 respectively.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois” ranking looked at 42 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in social work. That schools that top this list have a program in social work in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Aurora University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois list. Located in Aurora, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 712 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Erikson Institute. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 39 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saint Augustine College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois list. St. Augustine College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 24 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeastern Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 163 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Dominican University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois list. Dominican U is a private not-for-profit institution located in River Forest, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 74 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Governors State University ranked #6 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois list. University Park, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 75 students in 2020-2021.
Loyola University Chicago ranked #7 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social work degrees to 317 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, 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 85%.
With a ranking of #8, Trinity Christian College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois list. Trinity Christian College is a small school located in Palos Heights, Illinois that handed out 18 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%. The undergraduate 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.
Chicago State University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. Chicago State University is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 22 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. SIUC is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 108 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Social Work Report
Wabash Valley College landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. Mount Carmel, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #12. UIC is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 251 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of St Francis ranked #13 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois list. University of Saint Francis is located in Joliet, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 29 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.
Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. Olivet Nazarene is a small school located in Bourbonnais, Illinois that handed out 35 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Chicago ranked #15 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 175 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, 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 100%.
Greenville University ranked #16 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in Greenville, Illinois, and it awarded 8 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate 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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Lewis University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #17. Lewis University is a medium-sized school located in Romeoville, Illinois that handed out 45 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.
Methodist College landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. Peoria, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social work degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #19. WIU is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 45 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 64 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Social Work at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Springfield, Illinois, this small public school handed out 20 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Illinois at Springfield Social Work Report
Bradley University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Peoria, Illinois, and it awarded 28 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
With a ranking of #23, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 226 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #24, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois list. Illinois State University is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 88 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.
Millikin University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Decatur, Illinois, and it awarded 7 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
