2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Social Work for a Bachelor’s
14
Ranked Colleges
825
Degrees Awarded
$30,907
Avg Salary
Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Social Work for a Bachelor’s” 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. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 825 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,117 and $25,584 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Social Work for a Bachelor’s” ranking, we looked at 14 colleges that offer a degree in social work. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality social work programs as well as strong veteran support.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the social work program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Social Work for a Bachelor’s” 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Social Work for a Bachelor’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree vets studying social work.
Top 14 Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Illinois
Out of the 14 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Social Work for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 68 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Of the 52,679 students enrolled at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 10 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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 low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Aurora University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Social Work for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Aurora, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 167 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree vets studying social work list, Aurora has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Of the 6,265 students enrolled at Aurora, 3 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,999. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Aurora offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
Out of the 14 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Social Work for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #3 spot on the list. SIUE is located in Edwardsville, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 40 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
SIUE also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #6.Among the 12,860 students enrolled at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 3 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $23,082. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville]](/colleges/southern-illinois-university-edwardsville/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Loyola University Chicago. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Social Work for a Bachelor’s list. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 46 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
Loyola Chicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.According to our most recent data, Loyola University Chicago supports 16,893 students, and 261 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 165 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $17,263. To help with additional expenses, 78 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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Out of the 14 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Social Work for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #5 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 60 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
SIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.According to our most recent data, SIUC supports 11,366 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 0 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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With a ranking of #6, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Social Work for a Bachelor’s list. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 60 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree vets studying social work list, Illinois State has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.According to our most recent data, Illinois State supports 20,720 students, and 530 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 163 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,997. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Illinois State does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Illinois State University Veteran Student Life Report
Northeastern Illinois University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Social Work for a Bachelor’s ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 102 students in 2020-2021.
Northeastern Illinois University also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #8.Among the 7,119 students enrolled at Northeastern Illinois University, 147 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 83 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,460. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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Western Illinois University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Social Work for a Bachelor’s ranking. Western Illinois University is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 45 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree vets studying social work list, WIU has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Among the 7,490 students enrolled at Western Illinois University, 330 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 62 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,652. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at WIU]](/colleges/western-illinois-university/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #9, Governors State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Social Work for a Bachelor’s list. Governors State University is a small school located in University Park, Illinois that handed out 30 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
GSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Our most recent data shows that 146 of the 4,650 students enrolled at GSU were GI Bill® students, of which 80 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,291. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Full Governors State University Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #10, Olivet Nazarene University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Social Work for a Bachelor’s list. Olivet Nazarene is a small school located in Bourbonnais, Illinois that handed out 35 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
Olivet Nazarene also took the #5 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 57 of the 3,764 students enrolled at Olivet Nazarene were GI Bill® students, of which 35 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,334. To help with additional expenses, 11 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
University of Illinois at Springfield came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Social Work for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of Illinois at Springfield is a small school located in Springfield, Illinois that handed out 20 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIS, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Among the 4,146 students enrolled at University of Illinois at Springfield, 214 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 106 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,253. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…
National Louis University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Social Work for a Bachelor’s ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 25 students in 2020-2021.
NLU also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #14.Of the 7,402 students enrolled at NLU, 15 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 14 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $9,078. During this same period, 1 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. NLU does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Full National Louis University Veteran Student Life Report
Saint Augustine College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Social Work for a Bachelor’s ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 24 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree vets studying social work list, St. Augustine College has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 6 of the 901 students enrolled at Saint Augustine College were GI Bill® students, of which 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,227. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Read More…
Concordia University, Chicago ranked #14 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Social Work for a Bachelor’s list. River Forest, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.
Concordia University, Chicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Among the 6,491 students enrolled at Concordia University, Chicago, 134 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 96 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,085. During this same period, 4 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 veteran student life at Concordia University, Chicago]](/colleges/concordia-university-chicago/student-life/veterans/)
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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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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.
Credits
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