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2023 Most Popular Colleges for Social Work in Illinois

42 Ranked Colleges
2,720 Degrees Awarded
$28,000 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Social Work is the 13th most popular major in the country with 58,326 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 “Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois” ranking looked at 42 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in social work. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular social work programs in the United States.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. 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.

Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois social work students.

1
Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, Illinois

Out of the 42 schools in the Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Aurora University landed the #1 spot on the list. Aurora is a private not-for-profit institution located in Aurora, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 712 ’s 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 University

2
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Loyola University Chicago. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 317 ’s social work degrees 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%.

Read more about Social Work at Loyola Chicago

3

Out of the 42 schools in the Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 251 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%.

Read full report on Social Work at UIC

4

Out of the 42 schools in the Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 226 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

5
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 175 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Social Work at UChicago

6

Northeastern Illinois University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 163 degrees to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Social Work at Northeastern Illinois University

7

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 108 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Social Work at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

8

Illinois State University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 88 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%.

Read full report on Social Work at Illinois State University

9
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Governors State University
University Park, Illinois

Governors State University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. GSU is a public institution located in University Park, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 75 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Social Work at Governors State University

10
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Dominican University
River Forest, Illinois

Dominican University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois list. Dominican University is a small school located in River Forest, Illinois that handed out 74 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national 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.

Read full report on Social Work at Dominican University

11

With a ranking of #11, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 64 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Social Work at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

12
Lewis crest
Lewis University
Romeoville, Illinois

With a ranking of #12, Lewis University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois list. Lewis University is a medium-sized school located in Romeoville, Illinois that handed out 45 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Work at Lewis

12

Western Illinois University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 45 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

Full WIU Social Work Report

14
The Erikson Institute crest
Erikson Institute
Chicago, Illinois

Erikson Institute did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 39 degrees to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 full report on Social Work at The Erikson Institute

15
Olivet Nazarene crest
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. Olivet Nazarene is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 35 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 full report on Social Work at Olivet Nazarene

16
University of Saint Francis crest
University of St Francis
Joliet, Illinois

University of St Francis did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #16. Joliet, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social work degrees to 29 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of St Francis Social Work Report

17
Bradley crest
Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. Bradley University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Peoria, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 28 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Bradley University Social Work Report

18
NLU crest
National Louis University
Chicago, Illinois

National Louis University ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois list. National Louis University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 25 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full National Louis University Social Work Report

19
St. Augustine College crest
Saint Augustine College
Chicago, Illinois

Saint Augustine College landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social work degrees to 24 students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Social Work at St. Augustine College

20
CSU crest
Chicago State University
Chicago, Illinois

Chicago State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #20. 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.

Read full report on Social Work at CSU

21

University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #21. University of Illinois at Springfield is a public institution located in Springfield, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 20 ’s degrees 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%.

Read more about Social Work at University of Illinois at Springfield

22
Trinity Christian crest
Trinity Christian College
Palos Heights, Illinois

Trinity Christian College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. Trinity Christian 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.

Read full report on Social Work at Trinity Christian

22
SWIC crest
Southwestern Illinois College
Belleville, Illinois

With a ranking of #22, Southwestern Illinois College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois list. Belleville, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 18 students in 2020-2021.

Full SWIC Social Work Report

22
Lake Land College crest
Lake Land College
Mattoon, Illinois

Lake Land College landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. Mattoon, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 18 students in 2020-2021.

Full Lake Land College Social Work Report

25
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University ranked #25 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 17 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full DePaul Social Work Report

25
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College of DuPage
Glen Ellyn, Illinois

College of DuPage came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. COD is a large school located in Glen Ellyn, Illinois that handed out 22 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Social Work at College of DuPage

Notes and References

References

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