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

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

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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.

Journalism is the 62nd most popular major in the country with 14,528 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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.

This year’s “Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking looked at 16 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in journalism. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great journalism programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the journalism program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

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

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

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

#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 in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 271 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $16,784 for illinois journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Northwestern University Journalism Report

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #2 spot on the list. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 66 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $21,998 for illinois 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on Journalism at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Springfield. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. UIS is a small public school situated in Springfield, Illinois. It awarded 4 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

UIS did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend UIS is $17,342 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Journalism at UIS

#4

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 28 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois journalism students whose families make $75-$110k list, NIU has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Illinois University is $21,425 for illinois journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Journalism at NIU

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #5 spot on the list. SIUC is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 30 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois journalism students whose families make $75-$110k list, SIUC has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SIUC is $20,698 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Journalism at SIUC

#6

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Augustana College is located in Rock Island, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 22 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

Augustana also made our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Augustana College is $23,730 for illinois 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 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%.

Full Augustana College Journalism Report

#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. Eastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Charleston, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 13 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

EIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend EIU is $19,147 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Journalism at EIU

#8

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois

Dominican University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Dominican U is a small private not-for-profit school situated in River Forest, Illinois. It awarded 1 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Dominican U also took the #8 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $21,979 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Dominican University.

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 Journalism at Dominican University

#9

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

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

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WIU, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Western Illinois University is $20,181 for illinois journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Journalism at WIU

#10

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Illinois State University is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 33 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois State, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State University is $25,379 for illinois journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 Illinois State University Journalism Report

#11

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois

North Central College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This small school is located in Naperville, Illinois, and it awarded 9 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

North Central also made our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for North Central is $25,778 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%.

Full North Central College 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 a medium-sized school located in River Forest, Illinois that handed out 2 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Concordia University, Chicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $17,820 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Concordia University, Chicago.

Full Concordia University, Chicago Journalism Report

#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 University is a medium-sized school located in Peoria, Illinois that handed out 9 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois journalism students whose families make $75-$110k list, Bradley has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bradley is $28,169 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Journalism at Bradley University

#14

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Columbia College Chicago ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Columbia College Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 34 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

Columbia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia College Chicago is $33,864 for illinois journalism students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Journalism at Columbia

#15

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #15. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 62 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at DePaul, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $30,877 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend DePaul University.

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%.

Full DePaul Journalism Report

#16

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #16. Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 29 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $36,700 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Loyola Chicago.

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

Read full report on 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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