2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 6,199 people earned their degree in public policy, making the major the 116th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, public policy graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $52,077 and had an average of $35,743 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 654 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $51,600 and $37,312 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 382 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 5 colleges that offered a degree in public policy. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public policy 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 policy program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The public policy 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 Policy Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k”.

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 Policy Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 5 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$61,548 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$73,823 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. UChicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 337 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree public policy students whose families make $48-$75k list, UChicago has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Chicago are $61,548, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UChicago Public Policy Report

#2

University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$27,036 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

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 Policy Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. UIC is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 2 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Public Policy 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.

Full UIC Public Policy Report

#3

National Louis University

Chicago, Illinois

$12,096 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$52,107 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, National Louis University landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 1 diplomas to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2019-2020.

NLU also took the #0 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at NLU are $12,096, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Public Policy at NLU

#4

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

#4 in overall quality

$19,760 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$47,260 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend DePaul University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. DePaul is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 22 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul also took the #4 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul are $19,760, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full DePaul University Public Policy Report

#5

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$19,154 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Loyola University Chicago. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 12 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree public policy students whose families make $48-$75k list, Loyola Chicago has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Public Policy 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.

Full Loyola Chicago Public Policy Report

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $48-$75k)

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.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to The Official CTBTO Photostream.

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