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2023 Most Focused Colleges for General Journalism in the Great Lakes Region

74 Ranked Colleges
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Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.

General Journalism is the 69th most popular major in the country with 10,697 degrees awarded in 2021-2022.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 1,450 general journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 74 colleges that offer a degree in general journalism. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in general journalism.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 “Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our 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.

Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region”.

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for General Journalism in the Great Lakes Region

1
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Olivet College
Olivet, Michigan

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Olivet College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Olivet, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 11 students in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%.

Read more about General Journalism at Olivet College

2
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Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Columbia College Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Columbia College Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 20 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Journalism at Columbia College Chicago

3
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Franklin College
Franklin, Indiana

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Franklin College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Franklin, Indiana, and it awarded 7 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Journalism at Franklin College

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Whitewater, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 45 students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Journalism at UW - Whitewater

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ohio University - Athens Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Athens, Ohio, this large public school handed out 140 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Journalism at OHIO Athens

6
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Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Augustana is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Rock Island, Illinois. It awarded 17 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 full report on General Journalism at Augustana

7

Indiana University - Southeast did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #7. This small school is located in New Albany, Indiana, and it awarded 10 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Journalism at Indiana University - Southeast

8

University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school awarded 200 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UW - Madison General Journalism Report

9

Indiana University - Bloomington came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Bloomington, Indiana, this large public school handed out 121 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full IU Bloomington General Journalism Report

10

Kent State University at Kent came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Kent State is a large school located in Kent, Ohio that handed out 59 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Kent State University at Kent General Journalism Report

11
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DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University ranked #11 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 55 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%.

Full DePaul General Journalism Report

12
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Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ball State University is located in Muncie, Indiana and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 92 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Journalism at Ball State

13
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Marquette University
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Marquette University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Marquette University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It awarded 25 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 full report on General Journalism at Marquette University

14
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #14. Michigan State University is a public institution located in East Lansing, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 106 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Journalism at Michigan State University

15

With a ranking of #15, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. SIUC is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 15 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The impressive undergraduate 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. The low undergrad 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%.

Read more about General Journalism at SIUC

16

Ohio Wesleyan University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Delaware, Ohio, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 0 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Journalism at Ohio Wesleyan University

17
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Goshen College
Goshen, Indiana

Goshen College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #17. Goshen College is a small school located in Goshen, Indiana that handed out 2 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on General Journalism at Goshen College

18
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago ranked #18 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 29 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Loyola Chicago General Journalism Report

19
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North Central College
Naperville, Illinois

North Central College ranked #19 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. North Central College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Naperville, Illinois. It awarded 4 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Journalism at North Central

20

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #20. UW Oshkosh is a fairly large school located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin that handed out 15 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Journalism at UW Oshkosh

21

Miami University - Oxford did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #21. This fairly large school is located in Oxford, Ohio, and it awarded 40 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Miami University - Oxford General Journalism Report

22
Oakland crest
Oakland University
Rochester Hills, Michigan

Oakland University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #22. Oakland University is a public institution located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 23 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Journalism at Oakland University

23
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Madonna University
Livonia, Michigan

Madonna University ranked #23 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Madonna University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Livonia, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Madonna General Journalism Report

24
Bradley crest
Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois

With a ranking of #24, Bradley University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Peoria, Illinois, and it awarded 10 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Bradley University General Journalism Report

25
EIU crest
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University ranked #25 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Charleston, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 12 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Journalism at Eastern Illinois University

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