2023 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work in Illinois
22
Ranked Colleges
785
Degrees Awarded
$28,400
Avg Cost*

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2021-2022, 58,037 social work students received their degree, making the major the 9th most popular in the country.
Across Illinois, there were 2,749 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 785 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,374 and $23,086 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois” ranking analyzed 22 colleges that offered a degree in social work. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their social work program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois”.
Top 22 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work in Illinois
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saint Augustine College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois list. Saint Augustine College is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 20 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Social Work at Saint Augustine College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Aurora University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois list. Aurora is a private not-for-profit institution located in Aurora, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 203 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at Aurora University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northeastern Illinois University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 96 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Northeastern Illinois University Social Work Report
Out of the 22 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Trinity Christian College landed the #4 spot on the list. Trinity Christian is a private not-for-profit institution located in Palos Heights, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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 more about Social Work at Trinity Christian
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Olivet Nazarene University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois list. Bourbonnais, 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 23 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at Olivet Nazarene
Greenville University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #6. Greenville University is located in Greenville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Greenville Social Work Report
Governors State University ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois list. GSU is a public institution located in University Park, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.
Read full report on Social Work at GSU
Methodist College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Peoria, Illinois, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Social Work at Methodist College
Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #9. This medium-sized school is located in Macomb, Illinois, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at WIU
University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #10. UIS is located in Springfield, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 18 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
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%.
Full University of Illinois at Springfield Social Work Report
Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois list. SIUC is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 31 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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 SIUC
With a ranking of #12, Bradley University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois list. Bradley is located in Peoria, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 22 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at Bradley
With a ranking of #13, Millikin University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in Decatur, Illinois, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at Millikin University
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s 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 33 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
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 full report on Social Work at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
National Louis University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at NLU
Illinois State University ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois list. Illinois State is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 57 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at Illinois State
Lewis University ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois list. Lewis is a medium-sized school located in Romeoville, Illinois that handed out 26 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
Full Lewis University Social Work Report
Loyola University Chicago landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 67 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, 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 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Loyola University Chicago Social Work Report
University of St Francis came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Joliet, Illinois, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at University of Saint Francis
Concordia University, Chicago landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois ranking. This medium-sized school is located in River Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Concordia University, Chicago Social Work Report
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #21 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s 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 2021-2022, this school awarded 76 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, 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 93%.
Read full report on Social Work at UIUC
University of Chicago ranked #22 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Illinois list. UChicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 200 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at UChicago
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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).
- 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.
- 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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