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2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k

16 Ranked Colleges
614 Degrees Awarded
$23,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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.

This year’s “Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking analyzed 16 colleges that offered 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.

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 general journalism program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank General Journalism Schools

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 $75-$110k” list to help you make the college 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. 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 $75-$110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k.

Top 16 Best Value Colleges for General Journalism (Income $75-$110k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, 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 Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 271 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

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 University is $16,784 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, 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 97%. 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

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 in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 64 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $21,998 for illinois journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 $75-$110k. Located in Springfield, Illinois, this small public school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

UIS also made our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #13. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Springfield is $17,342 for illinois journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about General Journalism at University of Illinois at Springfield

#4

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 28 students in 2019-2020.

NIU also took the #10 spot in our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for NIU is $21,425 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on General Journalism at Northern Illinois University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 30 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC also took the #12 spot in our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SIUC is $20,698 for illinois journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on General Journalism at SIUC

#6

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Augustana is a small school located in Rock Island, Illinois that handed out 22 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois journalism students whose families make $75-$110k list, Augustana has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Augustana College is $23,730 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%.

Read more about General Journalism at Augustana College

#7

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #7. EIU is a medium-sized public school situated in Charleston, Illinois. It awarded 13 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

EIU also made our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend Eastern Illinois University is $19,147 for illinois journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full EIU General Journalism Report

#8

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois

Dominican University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #8. Dominican U is a small private not-for-profit school situated in River Forest, Illinois. It awarded 1 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois journalism students whose families make $75-$110k list, Dominican U has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Dominican U is $21,979 for illinois journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 full report on General Journalism at Dominican U

#9

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 3 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend WIU is $20,181 for illinois journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about General Journalism at Western Illinois University

#10

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 33 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois journalism students whose families make $75-$110k list, Illinois State has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $25,379 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Illinois State University.

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 full report on General Journalism at Illinois State

#11

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois

North Central College landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. North Central College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Naperville, Illinois. It awarded 9 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at North Central, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend North Central College is $25,778 for illinois journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%.

Full North Central General Journalism Report

#12

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, Illinois

Concordia University, Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #12. Concordia University, Chicago is located in River Forest, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

Concordia University, Chicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Concordia University, Chicago is $17,820 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on General Journalism at Concordia University, Chicago

#13

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Bradley is a medium-sized school located in Peoria, Illinois that handed out 9 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Bradley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Bradley University is $28,169 for illinois journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

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.

Read more about General Journalism at Bradley

#14

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Columbia College Chicago came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Columbia is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 27 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois journalism students whose families make $75-$110k list, Columbia has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Columbia is $33,864 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about General Journalism at Columbia College Chicago

#15

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. DePaul is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 62 ’s 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 yearly cost to attend DePaul University is $30,877 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 University

#16

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 29 ’s journalism degrees 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 estimated yearly cost for Loyola University Chicago is $36,700 for illinois journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

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

Read more about General Journalism at Loyola University Chicago

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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