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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration in Illinois (With Aid)

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 Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 Getting Aid” ranking looked at 11 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public administration. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent public administration programs, but they also cost less that 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree public admin students with aid.

Top 11 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration in Illinois (With Aid)

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #1 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.

UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 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 UIC are $27,036.

Read more about Public Administration at University of Illinois at Chicago

#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 Getting Aid list. Located in Springfield, Illinois, this small public school awarded 63 degrees to qualified masters’s public admin students 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. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Springfield are $16,757, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Public Administration at University of Illinois at Springfield

#3

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Governors State University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in University Park, Illinois, and it awarded 6 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

GSU also took the #10 spot 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.

Full GSU Public Administration Report

#4

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 #4 on our 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid 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.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree public admin students with aid list, NIU has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at NIU are $11,086, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Public Administration at NIU

#5

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 Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #5 spot on the list. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 85 masters’s public admin 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 Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern University are $56,567, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Public Administration at Northwestern

#7 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. SIUE is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 29 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUE, the school also landed the #7 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 SIUE are $9,300.

Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Public Administration Report

#7

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Aurora University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Aurora University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Aurora, Illinois. It awarded 14 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

Aurora also made our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #5. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Aurora University are $13,200.

Read more about Public Administration at Aurora University

#8

National Louis University

Chicago, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

National Louis University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 12 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

NLU also took 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.

Read full report on Public Administration at NLU

#9 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. SIUC is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 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 Southern Illinois University Carbondale are $32,928.

Read more about Public Administration at SIUC

#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 Getting Aid list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

Roosevelt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #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 came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 42 diplomas to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2019-2020.

DePaul also made our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. 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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