2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Communication & Media Studies is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 9th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 68,079 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2017-2018, communication and media studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,728 and had an average of $24,931 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 2,073 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,543 and $26,465 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,838 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 35 colleges that offered a degree in communication and media studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great communication and media studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the communication and media studies program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique 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.
Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 101 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
Northwestern also took the #1 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $1,866 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northwestern.
The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Northwestern University
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 Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 317 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.
UIUC also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $5,477 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.
Out of the 35 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Edwardsville, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 128 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.
SIUE also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $8,055 for illinois bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Out of the 35 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #4 spot on the list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 86 students in 2019-2020.
UIC also took the #7 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $10,648 for illinois bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.
Full University of Illinois at Chicago Communication & Media Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 164 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.
NIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Illinois University is $15,281 for illinois bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Northern Illinois University
Illinois State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Illinois State is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 172 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
Illinois State also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $14,470 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Illinois State University.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Illinois State University Communication & Media Studies Report
With a ranking of #7, Saint Xavier University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Saint Xavier University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.
SXU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Saint Xavier University is $11,266 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full Saint Xavier University Communication & Media Studies Report
With a ranking of #8, Wheaton College Illinois did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Wheaton College Illinois is a small school located in Wheaton, Illinois that handed out 43 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wheaton College Illinois, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Wheaton College Illinois is $18,440 for illinois bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Wheaton College Illinois
Governors State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in University Park, Illinois, and it awarded 43 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Governors State University is $10,872 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a ranking of #10, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. EIU is located in Charleston, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 41 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.
EIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for EIU is $12,350 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Eastern Illinois University
University of Illinois at Springfield came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Springfield, Illinois, this small public school awarded 32 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.
UIS also took the #18 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIS is $9,771 for illinois bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
Lake Forest College landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Lake Forest, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 30 students in 2019-2020.
Lake Forest also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend Lake Forest College is $18,192 for illinois bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Lake Forest
Western Illinois University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 53 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.
WIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for WIU is $13,942 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Western Illinois University
Augustana College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Augustana is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rock Island, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 42 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Augustana also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $20,355 for illinois bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Augustana.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #15, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 33 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SIUC is $13,658 for illinois bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Aurora University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Aurora, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 44 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.
Aurora also took the #17 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Aurora University is $14,103 for illinois bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of St Francis landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Saint Francis is a private not-for-profit institution located in Joliet, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
University of Saint Francis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $15,847 for illinois bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Saint Francis.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Communication & Media Studies at University of St Francis
Elmhurst University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. Elmhurst is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Elmhurst, Illinois. It awarded 11 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k list, Elmhurst has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $16,903 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Elmhurst University.
The low student loan default rate of 3.0% 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 about Communication & Media Studies at Elmhurst University
Monmouth College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Monmouth, Illinois, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Monmouth, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Monmouth College is $13,231 for illinois bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Monmouth College
Millikin University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Millikin University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Decatur, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Millikin not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $17,656 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Millikin.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Millikin University
Bradley University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Bradley is located in Peoria, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.
Bradley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Bradley is $17,205 for illinois bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #22, Northeastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 70 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern Illinois University is $14,816 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Northeastern Illinois University
Dominican University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Dominican U is a private not-for-profit institution located in River Forest, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k list, Dominican U has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Dominican University is $17,060 for illinois bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
North Central College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. North Central is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Naperville, Illinois. It awarded 4 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
North Central also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend North Central College is $18,889 for illinois bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at North Central College
With a ranking of #25, Olivet Nazarene University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Bourbonnais, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 24 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,806 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Olivet Nazarene.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Olivet Nazarene University Communication & Media Studies Report
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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 UNU-WIDER from Helsinki, Finland.
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