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2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

16 Ranked Colleges
614 Degrees Awarded
$16,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 12,336 people earned their degree in general journalism, making the major the 58th most popular in the United States.

Across Illinois, there were 614 general journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 16 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general journalism program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 16 Best Value Colleges for General Journalism (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 271 students in 2019-2020.

Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $3,995 for illinois journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Journalism at Northwestern

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 64 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #2 spot in our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $8,464 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UIUC General Journalism Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Springfield. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. UIS is a small public school situated in Springfield, Illinois. It awarded 4 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

UIS not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $8,323 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UIS.

Read more about General Journalism at University of Illinois at Springfield

#4

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 28 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

NIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $15,861 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Northern Illinois University.

Read full report on General Journalism at Northern Illinois University

#5

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 33 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also took the #5 spot in our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $14,999 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Illinois State.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.

Read more about General Journalism at Illinois State

#6

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

With a ranking of #6, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Charleston, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 13 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois journalism students whose families make $30-$48k list, EIU has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $11,316 for illinois journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend EIU.

Full Eastern Illinois University General Journalism Report

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 30 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend SIUC is $14,306 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about General Journalism at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#8

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. WIU is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 3 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU also took the #14 spot in our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $14,526 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Western Illinois University.

Read more about General Journalism at Western Illinois University

#9

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

With a ranking of #9, Augustana College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Rock Island, Illinois, and it awarded 22 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Augustana also made our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Augustana is $16,249 for illinois journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about General Journalism at Augustana

#10

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois

Dominican University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Dominican U is a small school located in River Forest, Illinois that handed out 1 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois journalism students whose families make $30-$48k list, Dominican U has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $17,586 for illinois journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Dominican U.

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.

Full Dominican U General Journalism Report

#11

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #11. Bradley is a private not-for-profit institution located in Peoria, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 9 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Bradley also took the #6 spot in our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $18,232 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Bradley.

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%. 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

#12

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois

With a ranking of #12, North Central College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. North Central is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Naperville, Illinois. It awarded 9 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

North Central did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $20,128 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k 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%.

Full North Central General Journalism Report

#13

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, Illinois

Concordia University, Chicago came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Concordia University, Chicago is a medium-sized school located in River Forest, Illinois that handed out 2 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Concordia University, Chicago also made our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $15,406 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Concordia University, Chicago.

Read full report on General Journalism at Concordia University, Chicago

#14

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Columbia College Chicago ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Columbia is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 27 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $27,397 for illinois journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Columbia College Chicago.

Full Columbia General Journalism Report

#15

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. DePaul University is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 62 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul University is $25,842 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.

Read more about General Journalism at DePaul University

#16

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 29 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Loyola Chicago, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Loyola Chicago is $29,788 for illinois journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Loyola University Chicago General Journalism Report

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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