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2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Work in Illinois

17 Ranked Colleges
1,712 Degrees Awarded
$42,130 Avg Salary
Schools for a Master's Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 1,712 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,317 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois” ranking looked at 17 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.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree social work students.

Top 17 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Work in Illinois

1
The Erikson Institute crest
Erikson Institute
Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 17 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Erikson Institute landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 39 diplomas to qualified masters’s social work students in 2020-2021.

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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Work at The Erikson Institute

2
Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, Illinois

Out of the 17 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Aurora University landed the #2 spot on the list. Aurora is a medium-sized school located in Aurora, Illinois that handed out 478 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.

Read more about Social Work at Aurora

3
Dominican U crest
Dominican University
River Forest, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Dominican University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois. River Forest, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 74 students 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. 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%.

Read full report on Social Work at Dominican U

4
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Loyola University Chicago. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 253 degrees to qualified masters’s social work students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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%.

Full Loyola Chicago Social Work Report

5
CSU crest
Chicago State University
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Chicago State University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois. CSU is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 22 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.

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.

Read full report on Social Work at CSU

6
GSU crest
Governors State University
University Park, Illinois

Governors State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #6. University Park, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 45 students in 2020-2021.

Full Governors State University Social Work Report

7

Northeastern Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 61 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Social Work at Northeastern Illinois University

8

University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. UIC is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 248 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.

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%.

Read more about Social Work at UIC

9
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. University of Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 166 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Social Work at UChicago

10
University of Saint Francis crest
University of St Francis
Joliet, Illinois

University of St Francis landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. Joliet, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Work at University of Saint Francis

11

Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 48 degrees to qualified masters’s social work students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Social Work at SIUC

12
Lewis crest
Lewis University
Romeoville, Illinois

Lewis University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #12. Lewis is located in Romeoville, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 26 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.

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%.

Read more about Social Work at Lewis

13

With a ranking of #13, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 155 students in 2020-2021.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on Social Work at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

14

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois list. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 24 students in 2020-2021.

Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Social Work Report

15
Illinois State crest
Illinois State University
Normal, Illinois

With a ranking of #15, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois list. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school handed out 28 degrees to qualified masters’s social work students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Illinois State University Social Work Report

16
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 17 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Work at DePaul

17

With a ranking of #17, Chamberlain University - Illinois did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois list. Chamberlain - Illinois is a large school located in Addison, Illinois that handed out 6 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Work at Chamberlain University - Illinois

Notes and References

References

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