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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

11 Ranked Colleges
426 Degrees Awarded
$21,600 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master's in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 17,269 people earned their degree in public administration, making the major the 47th most popular in the United States.

Across Illinois, there were 457 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 426 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree in public administration. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great public administration programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the public administration program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The public admin school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k”.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 11 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 85 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern also took the #1 spot in our “Best Public Administration 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.

Read full report on Public Administration at Northwestern University

#2 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 #2 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 91 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIC, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Public Administration 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 UIC are $27,036.

Read more about Public Administration at UIC

#7 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #3 spot on the list. SIUE is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 29 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUE also made our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #7. Average graduate tuition and fees at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville are $9,300, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full SIUE Public Administration Report

#3 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 #4 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Illinois at Springfield is a small public school situated in Springfield, Illinois. It awarded 63 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

UIS did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Springfield are $16,757.

Full UIS Public Administration Report

#5

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 32 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU also took the #6 spot in our “Best Public Administration 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 Northern Illinois University are $11,086.

Full Northern Illinois University Public Administration Report

#6

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

Governors State University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Governors State University is a small public school situated in University Park, Illinois. It awarded 6 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k list, GSU has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Governors State University are $14,674, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Public Administration at Governors State University

#7

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Aurora University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Aurora University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Aurora, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 14 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k list, Aurora has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Aurora are $13,200, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Public Administration at Aurora University

#9 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 6 degrees to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2019-2020.

SIUC also made our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #9. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Southern Illinois University Carbondale are $32,928.

Read more about Public Administration at SIUC

#9

National Louis University

Chicago, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

National Louis University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. NLU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 12 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

NLU also made our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #11. Average graduate tuition and fees at National Louis University are $12,096, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full NLU Public Administration Report

#10

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

Roosevelt University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 8 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

Roosevelt did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Roosevelt are $21,605.

Read full report on Public Administration at Roosevelt

#11

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

DePaul University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 42 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul are $19,760.

Read full report on Public Administration at DePaul University

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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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