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2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

15 Ranked Colleges
465 Degrees Awarded
$16,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

General Journalism is the 58th most popular major in the country with 12,336 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across Illinois, there were 614 general journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 465 general journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 15 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general journalism. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general journalism programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the general journalism program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank General Journalism Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Journalism 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 journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 15 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Journalism (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 151 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $1,866 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.

Full Northwestern University General Journalism Report

#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 59 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $5,477 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Journalism at UIUC

#3

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend NIU is $15,281 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full NIU General Journalism Report

#4

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Illinois State is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State University is $14,470 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Read full report on General Journalism at Illinois State

#5

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Augustana College. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Augustana College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Rock Island, Illinois. It awarded 22 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Augustana also took the #3 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Augustana is $20,355 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

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.

Read more about General Journalism at Augustana College

#12 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 30 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

SIUC also took the #12 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $13,658 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about General Journalism at SIUC

#7

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#14 in overall quality

Eastern Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Eastern Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Charleston, Illinois that handed out 13 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

EIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $12,350 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend EIU.

Read full report on General Journalism at EIU

#8

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Western Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Macomb, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WIU, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Western Illinois University is $13,942 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on General Journalism at WIU

#9

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Bradley University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Bradley University is located in Peoria, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

Bradley also took the #6 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bradley is $17,205 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Bradley General Journalism Report

#10

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

Dominican University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. Dominican University is a small school located in River Forest, Illinois that handed out 1 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Dominican U did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Dominican University is $17,060 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about General Journalism at Dominican University

#11

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

North Central College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Naperville, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 9 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

North Central also took the #4 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $18,889 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend North Central.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Journalism at North Central

#12

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, Illinois
#15 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, Concordia University, Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Concordia University, Chicago is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in River Forest, Illinois. It awarded 2 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Concordia University, Chicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Concordia University, Chicago is $14,097 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about General Journalism at Concordia University, Chicago

#13

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

Columbia College Chicago came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Columbia College Chicago is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 27 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $0-$30k list, Columbia has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia is $27,120 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Columbia College Chicago General Journalism Report

#14

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

DePaul University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 42 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $0-$30k list, DePaul has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend DePaul University is $26,173 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 more about General Journalism at DePaul University

#15

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 29 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola Chicago is $29,440 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full Loyola University Chicago General Journalism 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 Jfurrer.

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