Illinois has one of the most geographically concentrated MSW program markets in the country. Seven programs are based in Chicago itself, and several more operate from the city's suburbs, making the Chicago metro the center of the state's social work education landscape. The University of Chicago, Loyola, UIC, and DePaul represent a cluster of private and public programs within close proximity on Chicago's North Side and Near West Side. Chicago State and Northeastern Illinois serve Chicago's South and Northwest Sides, extending access to communities that the more centrally located programs serve less directly.
Outside Chicago, programs at UIUC, SIU Carbondale, SIU Edwardsville, Illinois State, and Aurora serve distinct regional labor markets. SIU Edwardsville's St. Louis metro location gives Illinois graduates access to a bistate social work employment market. SIU Carbondale and ISU Normal serve downstate Illinois communities, including rural and small-city markets where licensed social work practitioners are consistently undersupplied. UIUC's fully online iMSW delivers a flagship university program to students anywhere in the state.
Illinois's licensing structure (LSW followed by LCSW) mirrors several other Midwestern states. The 3,000-hour supervised practice requirement for LCSW means that post-degree clinical supervision planning should begin before or at graduation, not after. Students enrolled in programs with strong practicum-to-employment pipelines, particularly the Chicago-based programs with deep agency relationships, tend to be better positioned to begin supervised hours immediately after degree completion.
All 17 CSWE-Accredited MSW Programs in Illinois
Scored on the same seven-factor model used in the national ranking. All data sourced from the CSWE accreditation directory and official program pages (.edu). Accreditation years are Initial Accreditation Dates from the CSWE directory. Aurora University's current continuous accreditation began in 1987; Dominican University is fully online following 2020 campus closures.
- #1 National #5
University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice
Chicago, IL · On-Campus
9.5
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 1919Why It Ranks Here
The Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice at the University of Chicago ranks fifth nationally on our seven-factor scoring model and is the only Illinois program in the national top fifteen. CSWE accreditation dates to 1919. The school was renamed in 2018 following a $100 million gift from the Crown family, reflecting sustained philanthropic investment in the institution. Located in Hyde Park on Chicago's South Side, the school provides practicum placement access to the University of Chicago Medical Center, Cook County Health, and Chicago's dense network of nonprofit and public social service agencies. Two concentrations are offered: Clinical Practice and Management or Administration. Advanced Standing is available.
Private (research university). Contact the program for current tuition rates. Need-based financial aid is available through the University of Chicago Office of Financial Aid.
View program page → - #2
Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work
Chicago, IL · On-Campus or Online
8.7
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 1921Why It Ranks Here
Loyola University Chicago's School of Social Work has held CSWE accreditation since 1921 and is among the oldest continuously accredited social work programs in Illinois. Loyola is a large Jesuit research university on Chicago's Near North Side. The program offers two delivery formats beyond the standard campus track: an online MSW available since 2022, and an Online Bilingual (Spanish-English) MSW track available since 2018, one of a small number of bilingual online social work programs in the country. The bilingual track addresses a documented workforce need in Chicago's large Spanish-speaking communities, particularly in neighborhoods like Pilsen, Little Village, and Humboldt Park. Advanced Standing is available. Chicago campus students have direct access to the full Cook County and City of Chicago practicum placement network.
Private (Jesuit). Contact the program for current tuition rates and financial aid information.
View program page → - #3
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign School of Social Work
Urbana (Online), IL · Online
8.4
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 1946Why It Ranks Here
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's School of Social Work offers the iMSW, a fully online MSW program delivered by the flagship land-grant research university of the University of Illinois System. CSWE accreditation dates to 1946. Two concentrations are offered: Clinical Practice and Leadership. Advanced Standing is available. As a flagship R1 research university, UIUC provides an MSW within an institutional context that includes substantial research infrastructure, peer-reviewed faculty scholarship, and access to interdisciplinary programs across Illinois's largest public research campus. Illinois students arrange local practicum placements regardless of the program's online delivery format.
Public (flagship, University of Illinois System). Contact the program for current online tuition rates. In-state and out-of-state rates apply.
View program page → - #4
University of Illinois Chicago Jane Addams College of Social Work
Chicago, IL · On-Campus
8.2
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 1946Why It Ranks Here
The University of Illinois Chicago's Jane Addams College of Social Work has held CSWE accreditation since 1946 and is named after Jane Addams, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning social worker who founded Hull House one mile from UIC's campus. The school's Near West Side location places it adjacent to the Illinois Medical District, providing direct practicum placement access to Rush University Medical Center, University of Illinois Hospital, and Cook County Health, as well as the community social services infrastructure of Chicago's West and Near West Side neighborhoods. Four concentrations are offered: Children, Youth, and Families; Community Development and Social Systems; Criminal Justice; and Mental Health. Advanced Standing is available. No online delivery is currently offered.
Public (University of Illinois System), approx. $15,000�$20,000/year in-state. Contact the program for current rates.
View program page → - #5
Aurora University School of Social Work
Aurora, IL · On-Campus or Online
7.5
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 1987Why It Ranks Here
Aurora University's School of Social Work has held CSWE accreditation since 1987 (following a break from an earlier 1974 to 1982 accreditation) and is one of the longer-established programs among Illinois's private universities. The program operates from multiple locations: Aurora, Illinois; Williams Bay, Wisconsin; and Woodstock, Illinois, extending access across Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. An online track has been available since 2018, one of the earlier online adoptions among Illinois programs. An Advanced Generalist concentration is offered. Advanced Standing is available. The multi-campus and online delivery model makes Aurora one of the more geographically accessible private MSW options in Northern Illinois.
Private. Contact the program for current tuition rates and financial aid information.
View program page → - #6
Southern Illinois University Carbondale School of Social Work
Carbondale, IL · On-Campus or Online
7.3
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 1988Why It Ranks Here
Southern Illinois University Carbondale's School of Social Work has held CSWE accreditation since 1988 and is a large public research university in Southern Illinois, a region with distinct social work workforce needs compared to the Chicago metro. Three concentrations are offered: Children, Youth, and Families; Healthcare; and Mental Health. An online track was added in 2021. Advanced Standing is available. SIU Carbondale's practicum network spans Southern Illinois Healthcare hospital systems and community agencies throughout a large rural region. The program's three concentrations cover the major practice areas without requiring students to choose between clinical and macro pathways.
Public, approx. $12,000�$16,000/year in-state. Contact the program for current rates.
View program page → - #7
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Department of Social Work
Edwardsville, IL · On-Campus
7.0
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 1998Why It Ranks Here
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's Department of Social Work has held CSWE accreditation since 1998 and is located in Edwardsville, Illinois, in the greater St. Louis metropolitan area on the Illinois side. SIUE's Metro-East location provides practicum placement access to both Illinois and Missouri social services agencies, St. Louis-area hospital systems, and community organizations across the bistate metropolitan area. An Advanced Generalist concentration is offered. Advanced Standing is available. No online delivery is currently offered. SIUE is a public institution within the SIU System.
Public, approx. $12,000�$16,000/year in-state. Contact the program for current rates.
View program page → - #8
Chicago State University School of Social Work
Chicago, IL · On-Campus
6.8
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 2001Why It Ranks Here
Chicago State University's School of Social Work has held CSWE accreditation since 2001 and is the only HBCU (Historically Black College and University) with an accredited MSW program in Illinois. Located on Chicago's Far South Side, CSU serves a predominantly African American student body and community, with practicum placement access to South Side community organizations, public agencies, and health systems. Three concentrations are offered: Advanced Generalist, Program Evaluation, and School Social Work. The Program Evaluation concentration is uncommon in Illinois and addresses a distinct practice area in organizational and policy settings. Advanced Standing is available. No online delivery is currently offered.
Public (HBCU), approx. $10,000�$14,000/year in-state. Contact the program for current rates.
View program page → - #9
Dominican University MSW Program
River Forest (Online), IL · Online
6.6
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 2001Why It Ranks Here
Dominican University's MSW program has held CSWE accreditation since 2001 and transitioned to fully online delivery after its River Forest and Grayslake campus locations closed in 2020. The program now operates entirely online with an Advanced Generalist concentration. Dominican is a Catholic university in the Dominican tradition located in River Forest, in Chicago's western suburbs. Illinois students arrange local practicum placements regardless of online delivery. Advanced Standing is available. Dominican's 2020 online transition positions it among the earlier fully online adopters in Illinois.
Private (Dominican Order Catholic). Contact the program for current online tuition rates.
View program page → - #10
Illinois State University School of Social Work
Normal, IL · On-Campus
6.4
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 2002Why It Ranks Here
Illinois State University's School of Social Work received CSWE accreditation in 2002 and is a large public university in Normal, Illinois, approximately 120 miles south of Chicago. Two concentrations are offered: Children, Youth, and Families and School Social Work. The School Social Work concentration prepares students for Illinois PPS (Pupil Personnel Services) certification in school social work, a distinct licensure pathway beyond the LSW and LCSW. Advanced Standing is available. No online delivery is currently offered. ISU is the oldest public university in Illinois and serves the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area, with practicum placements across McLean County agencies and regional health systems.
Public, approx. $12,000�$16,000/year in-state. Contact the program for current rates.
View program page → - #11
Governors State University MSW Program
University Park, IL · On-Campus
6.3
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 2002Why It Ranks Here
Governors State University's MSW program received CSWE accreditation in 2002 and is a public university located in University Park, Illinois, in the south suburban Chicago corridor. Two concentrations are offered: Children, Youth, and Families and School Social Work. Advanced Standing is available. No online delivery is currently offered. GSU primarily serves a commuter and adult student population and is known for its high proportion of transfer and first-generation students, reflecting the demographics of the Chicago South Metro region. GSU's south suburban location extends MSW access to an area of the Chicago metro that is underserved by other accredited programs.
Public, approx. $10,000�$14,000/year in-state. Contact the program for current rates.
View program page → - #12
University of St. Francis MSW Program
Joliet, IL · On-Campus or Online
6.1
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 2006Why It Ranks Here
The University of St. Francis's MSW program has held CSWE accreditation since 2006 and is a private Franciscan university in Joliet, Illinois, in Will County southwest of Chicago. Two concentrations are offered: Advanced Generalist and School Social Work. An online track was added in 2021. Advanced Standing is available. St. Francis is associated with the Franciscan Sisters of Mary Immaculate and serves students in the Will County and Southwest Chicago Suburbs corridor, a region with limited MSW program access relative to the Chicago city core.
Private (Franciscan Catholic). Contact the program for current tuition rates and financial aid information.
View program page → - #13
DePaul University Department of Social Work
Chicago, IL · On-Campus
6.0
60 credits 900 field hours No Advanced Standing Accred. since 2007Why It Ranks Here
DePaul University's Department of Social Work has held CSWE accreditation since 2007 and is a large Vincentian Catholic university in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. Two concentrations are offered: Community Development and Social Systems, and Forensic Social Work. The Forensic Social Work concentration addresses social work practice in criminal justice, legal, and correctional settings and is one of the few such concentrations offered at any Illinois MSW program. No online delivery is currently offered. DePaul is currently the only CSWE-accredited MSW program in Illinois that does not offer Advanced Standing, which limits its composite score on the Pathways factor. Students who hold a CSWE-accredited BSW will need to complete the full MSW curriculum. Chicago's practicum placement depth is a genuine strength for students enrolled in the campus program.
Private (Vincentian Catholic). Contact the program for current tuition rates and financial aid information.
View program page → - #14
Erikson Institute MSW Program
Chicago, IL · On-Campus or Online
5.8
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 2013Why It Ranks Here
Erikson Institute's MSW program received CSWE accreditation in 2013 and is delivered from a specialized graduate school in Chicago's Streeterville neighborhood that focuses exclusively on child development and children from birth through age eight. Two concentrations are offered: Children, Youth, and Families and Clinical Practice. An online track has been available since 2020. Advanced Standing is available. Erikson's MSW is highly specialized for clinical practice with infants, toddlers, and young children, including infant mental health, early childhood behavioral health, and early intervention settings. Students specifically oriented toward early childhood social work will find Erikson a uniquely deep preparation, while students seeking general clinical or macro social work practice may find the specialization narrowing.
Private (standalone graduate school). Contact the program for current tuition rates and financial aid information.
View program page → - #15
Northeastern Illinois University Department of Social Work
Chicago, IL · On-Campus
5.6
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 2016Why It Ranks Here
Northeastern Illinois University's Department of Social Work received CSWE accreditation in 2016 and is a public minority-serving institution in Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood on the city's Northwest Side. Three concentrations are offered: Children, Youth, and Families; School Social Work; and Leadership. Advanced Standing is available. No online delivery is currently offered. NEIU primarily serves a commuter student population and is known for its high proportion of first-generation college students and students of color, reflecting the demographics of its Northwest Side Chicago location. The urban campus provides practicum placement access to Chicago's Northwest Side community organizations and public agencies.
Public (minority-serving institution), approx. $10,000�$14,000/year in-state. Contact the program for current rates.
View program page → - #16
Lewis University MSW Program
Romeoville, IL · On-Campus
5.4
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 2017Why It Ranks Here
Lewis University's MSW program received CSWE accreditation in 2017 and is delivered from the Romeoville campus in Will County, southwest of Chicago. A Clinical Practice concentration is offered. Advanced Standing is available. No online delivery is currently offered. Lewis is a Catholic university in the De La Salle Christian Brothers tradition. Romeoville's location in the Southwest Chicago Suburbs provides access to the Will County and DuPage County social services practicum network. Full-time and part-time enrollment options are available.
Private (De La Salle Christian Brothers). Contact the program for current tuition rates and financial aid information.
View program page → - #17
Chamberlain University MSW Program
Online, IL · Online
5.1
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 2019Why It Ranks Here
Chamberlain University's MSW program received CSWE accreditation in 2019 and is delivered entirely online. Chamberlain is a for-profit institution owned by Adtalem Global Education, primarily known for nursing and healthcare education. An Advanced Generalist concentration is offered. Advanced Standing is available. Illinois students arrange local practicum placements regardless of online delivery. As a for-profit institution with the most recent accreditation date among Illinois MSW programs, Chamberlain's composite score reflects both the short accreditation record and the institutional context differences from the nonprofit universities and public institutions listed above. Students should review the program's outcomes data and accreditation history on the CSWE directory before enrolling.
For-profit (Adtalem Global Education). Contact the program for current online tuition rates.
View program page →
Job Market for MSW Graduates in Illinois
Illinois employs a large and diverse social work workforce, with the Chicago metropolitan area accounting for the vast majority of the state's MSW-level positions. Chicago's concentration of major hospital systems, including Northwestern Memorial, Rush University Medical Center, University of Illinois Hospital, Advocate Aurora Health, and the University of Chicago Medical Center, creates substantial demand for healthcare and medical social workers. Cook County Health, the City of Chicago Department of Family and Support Services, and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) represent major public-sector employers for child welfare and community social workers.
Chicago's nonprofit sector is among the largest in the country, with hundreds of community-based organizations, behavioral health providers, and advocacy organizations employing MSW graduates. Mental health social work demand is particularly strong in the wake of expanded Medicaid behavioral health coverage in Illinois, which has increased the number of billable mental health positions in community mental health centers and private practice settings.
Downstate Illinois presents a persistent social work workforce shortage, particularly in rural and semi-rural counties. Programs at SIU Carbondale, SIU Edwardsville, and Illinois State University primarily serve these regional markets, and graduates from these programs often find strong placement rates in areas where competition for licensed social work positions is lower than in the Chicago metro.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Illinois; Illinois IDFPR, Social Work Licensing.
How We Ranked These Programs
Each program is scored on the same seven-factor model used in the national ranking. The state ranking uses identical criteria and weights. No Illinois-specific adjustments are made. Programs are ordered by composite score. For the full methodology, see our ranking methodology page.
- CSWE Accreditation (25%): Active accreditation status and continuous accreditation history.
- Program Leadership (15%): Faculty credentials, research output, and peer-assessment scores.
- Pathways (15%): Concentration variety, Advanced Standing availability, and dual-degree options.
- Delivery Format (15%): Online, hybrid, and in-person availability; start-term flexibility.
- Employer Signal (15%): Field placement hours required, practicum site depth, and documented placement infrastructure.
- Cost & Affordability (10%): Published tuition per credit or per year, in-state vs. out-of-state differential.
- Reputation (5%): U.S. News peer-assessment scores and institutional recognition.