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Best Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois

22 Colleges
$41,772 Avg Salary
$26,600 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service School for You

In 2020-2021, public administration and social service students earned 2,690 degrees and certificates from an Illinois school, making the subject the 5th in the state.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

The Best Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 22 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges.

Top 10 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Our 2023 rankings named Northwestern University the best school in Illinois for public administration and social service students. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Evanston.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Northwestern University Report

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

The excellent programs at University of Chicago helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration and social service schools in Illinois. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at University of Chicago Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois list. UIUC is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Champaign.

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#4

Erikson Institute

Chicago, IL

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Erikson Institute is a great place for public administration and social service students. Located in the large city of Chicago, The Erikson Institute is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Erikson Institute Report

#5

Aurora University

Aurora, IL

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Aurora University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois list. Located in the suburb of Aurora, Aurora is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Aurora University

Western Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #6 on the list. WIU is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Macomb.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Western Illinois University Report

Northern Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Northern Illinois University

Loyola University Chicago ranked #8 on this year’s Best Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois list. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Loyola University Chicago Report

#9

Dominican University

River Forest, IL

Dominican University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public administration and social service programs. Dominican U is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of River Forest.

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University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #10 on this year’s Best Public & Social Service Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at University of Illinois at Chicago Report

Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Indiana 1,347
Ohio 1,347
Wisconsin 532
Michigan 1,815

Public Administration & Social Service Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 33,631
Public Administration 13,571
Public Policy 3,737
Human Services 1,277
Community Organization & Advocacy 741
Other Public Administration 295

Related Major Annual Graduates
Legal Professions 45,189
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting 13,045
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies 10,452
Military Technologies & Applied Sciences 1,613

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 22 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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 the rest 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to University of the Fraser Valley.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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