Academic Index Last updated: June 23, 2026

18 Best Universities in Illinois for Social Work

If you are looking to study Social Work in Illinois, our index highlights the top 18 domain-leading institutions. Our methodology evaluated 1.19M subject-specific papers and 49.56M citations to find the strongest faculties. This targeted approach bypasses general university reputation, directly revealing the strongest programs.

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1

Chicago

University of Chicago

#15 in United States #16 in North America

4% Acceptance

7,598 Enrollment

1545 Avg SAT

1891 Founded

2

Champaign

University of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign

#19 in United States #20 in North America

42% Acceptance

37,140 Enrollment

1415 Avg SAT

1867 Founded

3

Chicago

University of Illinois at Chicago

#63 in United States #69 in North America

77% Acceptance

22,495 Enrollment

1240 Avg SAT

1858 Founded

4

Chicago

Loyola University Chicago

#137 in United States #158 in North America

82% Acceptance

29,640 Enrollment

1265 Avg SAT

1870 Founded

5

Evanston

Northwestern University

#25 in United States #27 in North America

8% Acceptance

9,399 Enrollment

1540 Avg SAT

1851 Founded

6

Chicago

DePaul University

#193 in United States #218 in North America

76% Acceptance

5,734 Enrollment

1235 Avg SAT

1898 Founded

7

DeKalb

Northern Illinois University

#164 in United States #188 in North America

70% Acceptance

16,744 Enrollment

1125 Avg SAT

1895 Founded

8

Edwardsville

Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville

#329 in United States #366 in North America

97% Acceptance

16,744 Enrollment

1070 Avg SAT

1957 Founded

9

Normal, IL

Illinois State University

#217 in United States #245 in North America

88% Acceptance

6,332 Enrollment

1100 Avg SAT

1857 Founded

10

Carbondale

Southern Illinois University – Carbondale

#190 in United States #215 in North America

87% Acceptance

2,708 Enrollment

1030 Avg SAT

1869 Founded

11

Chicago

Institute for Clinical Social Work

#1882 in United States #1973 in North America

81% Acceptance

1,631 Enrollment

1010 Avg SAT

12

Chicago

Erikson Institute

#1282 in United States #1360 in North America

80% Acceptance

1,631 Enrollment

1025 Avg SAT

13

Aurora, IL

Aurora University

#1005 in United States #1078 in North America

81% Acceptance

4,397 Enrollment

1025 Avg SAT

1893 Founded

14

University Park, IL

Governors State University

#829 in United States #897 in North America

48% Acceptance

5,734 Enrollment

1035 Avg SAT

1969 Founded

15

River Forest

Dominican University

#793 in United States #861 in North America

90% Acceptance

5,734 Enrollment

990 Avg SAT

1901 Founded

16

Springfield, IL

University of Illinois at Springfield

#549 in United States #604 in North America

86% Acceptance

6,332 Enrollment

1070 Avg SAT

1969 Founded

17

Jacksonville, IL

Illinois College

#500 in United States #550 in North America

78% Acceptance

2,256 Enrollment

1032 Avg SAT

1829 Founded

18

Macomb

Western Illinois University

#397 in United States #443 in North America

71% Acceptance

7,895 Enrollment

1100 Avg SAT

1899 Founded