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2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

11 Ranked Colleges
96 Degrees Awarded
$25,700 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master's in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Political Science & Government is the 21st most popular major in the country with 48,597 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, political science and government graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $33,977 and had an average of $22,822 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 1,532 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,277 and $22,016 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 96 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 11 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in political science and government. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great political science and government programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the political science and government program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid.

Top 11 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Political Science & Government in Illinois (With Aid)

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 4 masters’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree political science students with aid list, UIUC has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at UIUC

#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Springfield. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. UIS is located in Springfield, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 22 masters’s political science degrees to qualified students.

UIS also took the #8 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIS are $16,757, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UIS Political Science & Government Report

#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. University of Illinois at Chicago is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIC, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIC are $27,036, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Illinois at Chicago

#4

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 13 masters’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree political science students with aid list, EIU has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at EIU are $20,761, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Eastern Illinois University Political Science & Government Report

#5

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Northwestern University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 13 masters’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern University are $56,567, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Northwestern Political Science & Government Report

#6

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s political science degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree political science students with aid list, NIU has also earned the #0 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northern Illinois University are $11,086, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Political Science & Government at NIU

#10 in overall quality

Northeastern Illinois University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 5 degrees to qualified masters’s political science students in 2019-2020.

Northeastern Illinois University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northeastern Illinois University are $17,032, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Political Science & Government Report

#8

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. WIU is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 masters’s political science degrees to qualified students.

WIU also made our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #9. Average graduate tuition and fees at Western Illinois University are $11,996, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Political Science & Government at WIU

#9

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Illinois State University is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 9 masters’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also took the #7 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois State University are $11,069.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Illinois State

#10

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

University of Chicago landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 9 masters’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UChicago are $61,548, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Chicago Political Science & Government Report

#11

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

Loyola University Chicago ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 4 masters’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree political science students with aid list, Loyola Chicago has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Loyola Chicago are $19,154, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Loyola Chicago

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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

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees 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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