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2022 Best Value Colleges for Public Administration (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

11 Ranked Colleges
457 Degrees Awarded
$13,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Admin Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Public Admin Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

Public Administration is the 58th most popular major in the country with 17,269 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, public administration graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $48,859 and had an average of $42,077 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 457 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $46,625 and $39,969 respectively.

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

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Public Admin Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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 in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

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

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

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 88 diplomas to qualified ’s public admin students in 2019-2020.

Northwestern also took the #1 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $3,995 for illinois public admin students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Full Northwestern Public Administration Report

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 in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Springfield, Illinois, and it awarded 86 ’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

UIS also made our “Best Public Administration Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Springfield is $8,323 for Illinois Public Admin students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Public Administration at UIS

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools 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 large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 94 ’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC also made our “Best Public Administration Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Chicago is $11,185 for Illinois Public Admin students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

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

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 in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Edwardsville, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 29 diplomas to qualified ’s public admin students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois public admin students whose families make $30-$48k list, SIUE has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Public Administration Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $9,938 for Illinois Public Admin students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Full SIUE Public Administration Report

#5

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools 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. Northern Illinois University is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 32 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NIU, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $15,861 for Illinois Public Admin students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Northern Illinois University.

Read more about Public Administration at Northern Illinois University

#6

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

Governors State University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools 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 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

GSU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $12,046 for Illinois Public Admin students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend GSU.

Read full report on Public Administration at GSU

#7

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois

With a ranking of #7, Aurora University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Aurora is located in Aurora, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

Aurora also made our “Best Public Administration Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $13,845 for illinois public admin students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Aurora.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Aurora Public Administration Report

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 6 ’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC also took the #9 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $14,306 for Illinois Public Admin students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Read full report on Public Administration at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#9

National Louis University

Chicago, Illinois

National Louis University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 12 degrees to qualified ’s public admin students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NLU, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for NLU is $14,403 for Illinois Public Admin students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Public Administration at NLU

#10

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Roosevelt University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 8 ’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Roosevelt, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $20,330 for Illinois Public Admin students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Roosevelt.

Full Roosevelt University Public Administration Report

#11

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 42 degrees to qualified ’s public admin students in 2019-2020.

DePaul not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $25,842 for illinois public admin students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend DePaul University.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Administration at DePaul University

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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