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2025 Best Social Work Schools in Illinois

17 Colleges in Illinois
2,749 Social Work Degrees Awarded
If you pursue a degree in social work, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #9 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 17 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for social work students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 2,749 degrees in social work to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Social Work School

Best Social Work Schools in Illinois The social work program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Social Work rankings. For our Best Overall Social Work School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Social Work Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Social Work
Master's Degrees in Social Work
Doctor's Degrees in Social Work

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Social Work Schools in Illinois list, to help you choose the best school for you. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Social Work in Illinois

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the social work degree levels they offer.

10 Top Illinois Schools in Social Work

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In IL
200 Social Work Degrees Awarded

It's difficult to beat University of Chicago if you want to pursue a degree in social work. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were about 200 social work students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in social work from University of Chicago

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IL
346 Social Work Degrees Awarded

Loyola University Chicago is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in social work. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #100 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Loyola Chicago is a great university overall.

There were roughly 346 social work students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in social work from Loyola University Chicago

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BA in Human Services - Child & Family Services Program Name

Gain the fundamental tools required to improve the lives of children and families in crisis with this specialized online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BA in Human Services - Child & Family Services from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In IL
251 Social Work Degrees Awarded

It is hard to beat University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign if you wish to pursue a degree in social work. UIUC is a very large public university located in the city of Champaign. A Best Colleges rank of #41 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 251 social work students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in social work from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

4
Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, IL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IL
766 Social Work Degrees Awarded

Any student pursuing a degree in social work needs to take a look at Aurora University. Aurora is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Aurora. A Best Colleges rank of #348 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Aurora is a great university overall.

There were about 766 social work students who graduated with this degree at Aurora in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in social work from Aurora University

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IL
229 Social Work Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #254 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 229 social work students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in social work from University of Illinois at Chicago

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In IL
78 Social Work Degrees Awarded

Illinois State is a very large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal. A Best Colleges rank of #210 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.

There were about 78 social work students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in social work from Illinois State University

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
12th Most Popular In IL

Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 37th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 22 social work students who graduated with this degree at WIU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in social work from Western Illinois University

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BA in Human Services Program Name

Improve the lives of individuals, families and communities with the human service tools gained from this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BA in Human Services from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In IL
159 Social Work Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 59th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 159 social work students who graduated with this degree at Northeastern Illinois University in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in social work from Northeastern Illinois University

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
17th Most Popular In IL

Bradley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Peoria. This university ranks 19th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 22 social work students who graduated with this degree at Bradley in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in social work from Bradley University

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
11th Most Popular In IL
69 Social Work Degrees Awarded

SIUE is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Edwardsville. This university ranks 31st out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 69 social work students who graduated with this degree at SIUE in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in social work from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Best Social Work Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Social Work Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Ohio 939 2,332
Michigan 915 2,369
Indiana 737 1,323
Wisconsin 672 1,009

View All Rankings >

One of 3 majors within the Social Work area of study, Social Work has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Forensic Social Work 7

View All Social Work Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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