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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration (Income $30-$48k) 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 $30-$48k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that 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.

This year’s “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 11 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public administration. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public administration programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the public administration program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Public Administration Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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 Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree public admin students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 11 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 85 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 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 Northwestern University are $56,567.

Read full report on Public Administration at Northwestern University

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Springfield. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Springfield, Illinois, this small public school awarded 63 degrees to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2019-2020.

UIS also took the #3 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIS are $16,757, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Public Administration at UIS

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 91 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree public admin students whose families make $30-$48k list, UIC has also earned the #2 rank 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 University of Illinois at Chicago are $27,036.

Read more about Public Administration at University of Illinois at Chicago

#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 29 students in 2019-2020.

SIUE also took the #7 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SIUE are $9,300, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Public Administration at SIUE

#5

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #5 spot on the list. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 32 students in 2019-2020.

NIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at NIU are $11,086, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full NIU Public Administration Report

#6

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

Governors State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. GSU is located in University Park, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

GSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 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 GSU are $14,674.

Read full report on Public Administration at GSU

#7

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Aurora University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Aurora, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 14 diplomas to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Aurora, the school also landed the #5 spot 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 more about Public Administration at Aurora

#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 $30-$48k ranking. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Southern Illinois University Carbondale are $32,928, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Public Administration Report

#9

National Louis University

Chicago, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

National Louis University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. NLU is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NLU, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at National Louis University are $12,096, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full NLU Public Administration Report

#10

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

Roosevelt University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. 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. Average graduate tuition and fees at Roosevelt are $21,605, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Public Administration at Roosevelt

#11

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

DePaul University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 42 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at DePaul, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul are $19,760, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full DePaul University Public Administration Report

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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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