2023 Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Illinois
19
Ranked Colleges
2,499
Degrees Awarded
$48,414
Avg Salary
Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 98,583 people earned their degree in public administration and social service, making the major the 14th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, public administration and social service graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $40,520 and had an average of $27,642 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 3,959 public administration and social service graduates with average earnings and debt of $41,772 and $26,600 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s” ranking, we looked at 19 colleges that offer a degree in public administration and social service. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great public administration and social service programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the public administration and social service program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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 “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s” list to help you make the college decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s”.
Top 19 Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Illinois
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 425 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.According to our most recent data, UChicago supports 17,834 students, and 241 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 113 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $18,948. During this same period, 58 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read More…
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #2 spot on the list. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 157 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 10 of the 52,679 students enrolled at UIUC were GI Bill® students, of which 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UIUC offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 veteran student life at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign]](/colleges/university-of-illinois-at-urbana-champaign/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s 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 303 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2020-2021.
UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 33,518 students enrolled at University of Illinois at Chicago were GI Bill® students, of which 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $23,878. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at UIC]](/colleges/university-of-illinois-at-chicago/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Aurora University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s. Aurora is a medium-sized school located in Aurora, Illinois that handed out 507 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2020-2021.
Aurora also took the #5 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Of the 6,265 students enrolled at Aurora, 3 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,999. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Aurora does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 More…
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Loyola University Chicago. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s public administration and social service degrees to 261 students in 2020-2021.
Loyola Chicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Our most recent data shows that 261 of the 16,893 students enrolled at Loyola University Chicago were GI Bill® students, of which 165 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $17,263. In addition to receiving other benefits, 78 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Loyola University Chicago offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 More…
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #6. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public administration and social service degrees to 61 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree vets studying public administration & social service list, SIUE has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.According to our most recent data, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville supports 12,860 students, and 3 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 2 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $23,082. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Veteran Student Life Report
Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #7. SIUC is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 58 masters’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.
SIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 11,366 students enrolled at Southern Illinois University Carbondale were GI Bill® students, of which 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Southern Illinois University Carbondale offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Full SIUC Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #8, University of St Francis did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s list. University of St Francis is a small school located in Joliet, Illinois that handed out 22 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Saint Francis also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #8.According to our most recent data, University of St Francis supports 3,529 students, and 2 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 2 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $16,734. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 veteran student life at University of St Francis]](/colleges/university-of-st-francis/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #9, DePaul University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 87 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree vets studying public administration & social service list, DePaul has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.According to our most recent data, DePaul supports 21,922 students, and 528 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 367 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $14,957. During this same period, 101 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
Illinois State University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s list. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 28 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2020-2021.
Illinois State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.According to our most recent data, Illinois State supports 20,720 students, and 530 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 163 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,997. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Illinois State offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Illinois State Veteran Student Life Report
University of Illinois at Springfield ranked #11 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s list. UIS is a public institution located in Springfield, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 61 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UIS not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Of the 4,146 students enrolled at UIS, 214 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 106 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,253. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UIS does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
Northwestern University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s ranking. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 100 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.According to our most recent data, Northwestern University supports 22,603 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $399. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read More…
Governors State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #13. Governors State University is located in University Park, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 64 masters’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.
GSU also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #16.According to our most recent data, Governors State University supports 4,650 students, and 146 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 80 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,291. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Full Governors State University Veteran Student Life Report
Northern Illinois University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s ranking. Northern Illinois University is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 35 masters’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.
NIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Among the 16,769 students enrolled at Northern Illinois University, 480 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 207 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,822. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Read More…
Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #15. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 61 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2020-2021.
Northeastern Illinois University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Of the 7,119 students enrolled at Northeastern Illinois University, 147 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 83 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,460. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Northeastern Illinois University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Northeastern Illinois University]](/colleges/northeastern-illinois-university/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #16, Dominican University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s list. Dominican U is a small private not-for-profit school situated in River Forest, Illinois. It awarded 74 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2020-2021.
Dominican U also took the #13 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 37 of the 3,189 students enrolled at Dominican U were GI Bill® students, of which 17 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,038. To help with additional expenses, 2 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Dominican University]](/colleges/dominican-university/student-life/veterans/)
Chicago State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #17. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public administration and social service degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree vets studying public administration & social service list, CSU has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Of the 2,644 students enrolled at CSU, 94 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 48 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,489. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. CSU does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read More…
National Louis University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #18. National Louis University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 20 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at NLU, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 15 of the 7,402 students enrolled at National Louis University were GI Bill® students, of which 14 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $9,078. On top of their other funding sources, 1 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. National Louis University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Read More…
With a ranking of #19, Erikson Institute did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s public administration and social service degrees to 39 students in 2020-2021.
The Erikson Institute also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #11.Among the 457 students enrolled at Erikson Institute, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
[Read full report on veteran student life at The Erikson Institute]](/colleges/erikson-institute/student-life/veterans/)
Focus on a Specific Degree Level
Switch to a Similar Major
Switch to a More Focused Major
Switch to a Different Ranking Method
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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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
college factual
.jpg){kind=link}