2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 57,618 people earned their degree in social work, making the major the 12th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, social work graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $36,459 and had an average of $30,084 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 2,654 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,589 and $33,608 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 25 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,900 and $148,219 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in social work. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent social work 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 social work 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 social work 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 Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k”.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois doctor’s degree social work students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 4 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$61,548 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$81,702 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 Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 11 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UChicago are $61,548, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Social Work at University of Chicago

#2

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$30,083 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Social Work Report

#3

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois

#4 in overall quality

$13,200 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Aurora University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Aurora, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s social work students in 2019-2020.

Aurora not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Aurora are $13,200, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Aurora Social Work Report

#4

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#3 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 #4 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s social work degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Loyola Chicago, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Loyola University Chicago are $19,154, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Social Work at Loyola Chicago

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $30-$48k)

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 Army Medicine.

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