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2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k

48 Ranked Colleges
1,771 Degrees Awarded
$19,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 the Great Lakes region, there were 1,983 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,873 and $26,636 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,771 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking looked at 48 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in journalism. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality journalism programs that also have a lower cost than 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Journalism (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 151 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $16,784 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Northwestern University.

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%. 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.

Read more about Journalism at Northwestern University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 233 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $21,860 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UW - Madison.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read full report on Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Madison

#3

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Bloomington. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Indiana University - Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 142 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

IU Bloomington not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for IU Bloomington is $18,951 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Journalism at IU Bloomington

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is located in Whitewater, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 46 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

UW - Whitewater also took the #11 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Whitewater is $17,364 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Journalism Report

#5

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin

Out of the 48 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - River Falls landed the #5 spot on the list. UW - River Falls is located in River Falls, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

UW - River Falls did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $16,138 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 Journalism at University of Wisconsin - River Falls

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #6. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 61 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $21,998 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

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

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Oshkosh also made our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #22. It costs about $17,210 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh.

Full UW Oshkosh Journalism Report

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #8. University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire is a public institution located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Eau Claire not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $18,196 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UW - Eau Claire.

Full UW - Eau Claire Journalism Report

#9

Indiana University - Southeast

New Albany, Indiana

Indiana University - Southeast landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Indiana University - Southeast is a public institution located in New Albany, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Southeast is $15,844 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Journalism at Indiana University - Southeast

#10

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 28 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend NIU is $21,425 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full NIU Journalism Report

With a ranking of #11, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Ohio State is a large public school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 53 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Ohio State also made our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State University - Main Campus is $21,364 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Ohio State Journalism Report

Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This large school is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at IUPUI, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for IUPUI is $17,952 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Journalism Report

#13

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Ball State is a public institution located in Muncie, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 71 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ball State, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ball State University is $19,446 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Journalism at Ball State University

#14

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan

Oakland University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #14. Oakland is a fairly large public school situated in Rochester Hills, Michigan. It awarded 24 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Oakland University is $15,424 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Journalism at Oakland

#15

Wayne State University

Detroit, Michigan

Wayne State University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Wayne State is a public institution located in Detroit, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 35 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Wayne State University is $17,909 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Journalism at Wayne State University

#16

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Central Michigan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, this fairly large public school awarded 40 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Central Michigan is $17,894 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full Central Michigan Journalism Report

Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 30 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $20,698 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full SIUC Journalism Report

#18

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Augustana College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Augustana is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rock Island, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Augustana also took the #5 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Augustana is $23,730 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 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 Journalism Report

#19

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

With a ranking of #19, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. EIU is a medium-sized school located in Charleston, Illinois that handed out 13 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Eastern Illinois University is $19,147 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Journalism at Eastern Illinois University

#20

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Located in East Lansing, Michigan, this large public school handed out 96 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

Michigan State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State is $25,389 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Journalism at Michigan State University

#21

University of Southern Indiana

Evansville, Indiana

University of Southern Indiana did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #21. University of Southern Indiana is a public institution located in Evansville, Indiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend USI is $17,743 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.

Read full report on Journalism at USI

#22

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois
#23 in overall quality

Dominican University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Dominican University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in River Forest, Illinois. It awarded 1 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Dominican U did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $21,979 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Dominican U.

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.

Full Dominican U Journalism Report

#23

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, Ohio

Youngstown State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #23. Youngstown, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,719 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Youngstown State University.

Full Youngstown State University Journalism Report

#24

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

With a ranking of #24, Western Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. WIU is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $20,181 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Western Illinois University.

Full WIU Journalism Report

#8 in overall quality

Ohio Northern University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Ohio Northern University is located in Ada, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

ONU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $23,629 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Ohio Northern University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Journalism at ONU

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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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