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2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

15 Ranked Colleges
465 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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. 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.

For this year’s “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 15 colleges that offer a degree in general journalism. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general journalism programs and cost less that 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank General Journalism Schools

The journalism school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 15 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Journalism (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

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 Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 151 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern also took the #1 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $6,452 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 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.

Read full report on General Journalism at Northwestern University

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 59 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $13,351 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#3

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Augustana College landed the #3 spot on the 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $21,453 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Augustana College.

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

Full Augustana General Journalism Report

#4

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #4 spot on the list. NIU is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU also took the #10 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Illinois University is $18,346 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full NIU General Journalism Report

#12 in overall quality

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #5 spot on the list. SIUC is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 30 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC also took the #12 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SIUC is $14,985 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full SIUC General Journalism Report

#6

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#14 in overall quality

Eastern Illinois University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Charleston, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

EIU also made our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $13,560 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend EIU.

Read more about General Journalism at EIU

#7

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Illinois State University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State is $19,080 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Read more about General Journalism at Illinois State

#8

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#13 in overall quality

Western Illinois University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 3 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

WIU also took the #13 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $15,912 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Western Illinois University.

Read more about General Journalism at Western Illinois University

#9

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Dominican University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Dominican U is a small school located in River Forest, Illinois that handed out 1 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $48-$75k list, Dominican U has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Dominican U is $18,582 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 General Journalism at Dominican U

#10

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

North Central College landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This small school is located in Naperville, Illinois, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

North Central also made our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend North Central is $23,353 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 North Central College

#11

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Bradley University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Peoria, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 9 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

Bradley also made our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $22,865 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Bradley University.

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%.

Full Bradley University General Journalism Report

#12

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, Illinois
#15 in overall quality

Concordia University, Chicago came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in River Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $48-$75k list, Concordia University, Chicago has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Concordia University, Chicago is $17,295 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about General Journalism at Concordia University, Chicago

#13

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

Columbia College Chicago landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia also took the #11 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $31,071 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Columbia.

Read full report on General Journalism at Columbia

#14

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, DePaul University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 42 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul also took the #9 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul is $28,075 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Journalism at DePaul

#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 $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #15. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 29 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago also made our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola University Chicago is $32,259 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. 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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