2022 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. 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 $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2019-2020, 14,528 people earned their degree in journalism, making the major the 62nd most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, journalism graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $31,042 and had an average of $24,628 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 627 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,000 and $27,965 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 474 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 journalism. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent journalism programs, but they also 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 journalism program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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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 for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
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 Journalism (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois
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, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 151 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $1,866 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #2 spot on the list. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 61 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
UIUC also made our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $5,477 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UIUC.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.
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, Northern Illinois University landed the #3 spot on the list. NIU is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 28 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at NIU, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northern Illinois University is $15,281 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school awarded 33 diplomas 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, Illinois State has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State University is $14,470 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
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, Augustana College landed the #5 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.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Augustana, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Augustana College is $20,355 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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%.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 30 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best 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.
Eastern Illinois University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Eastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Charleston, Illinois. It awarded 13 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, EIU has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. 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 Journalism at Eastern Illinois University
Western Illinois University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Macomb, Illinois, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
WIU also took the #13 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for WIU is $13,942 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.
Bradley 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 #9. This medium-sized school is located in Peoria, Illinois, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
Bradley also took the #6 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Bradley University is $17,205 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%.
Dominican University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Dominican U is located in River Forest, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
Dominican U also took the #8 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $17,060 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Dominican U.
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.
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. North Central is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Naperville, Illinois. It awarded 9 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
North Central also made our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. 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%.
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 private not-for-profit institution located in River Forest, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Concordia University, Chicago, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $14,097 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Concordia University, Chicago.
Columbia College Chicago landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 34 students in 2019-2020.
Columbia also took the #11 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $27,120 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Columbia College Chicago.
DePaul University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. DePaul University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 42 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
DePaul also took the #9 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $26,173 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend DePaul.
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%.
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. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 29 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $0-$30k list, Loyola Chicago has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $29,440 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Loyola University Chicago.
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%.
- Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Journalism (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
- Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Journalism (Income $0-$30k)
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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.
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