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2022 Best Value Colleges for Journalism (Income Over $110k) in Illinois

16 Ranked Colleges
627 Degrees Awarded
$27,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Vallue Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Vallue Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 Vallue Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k” ranking analyzed 16 colleges that offered a degree 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Journalism Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Vallue Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

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Best Vallue Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k

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

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

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Vallue Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k list. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 66 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #2 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $15,880 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make more than $110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 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 #2 for the Best Vallue Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k. UIS is a small school located in Springfield, Illinois that handed out 4 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois journalism students whose families make more than $110k list, UIS has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Springfield is $12,477 for illinois journalism students whose families make more than $110k.

Read full report on Journalism at UIS

#3

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Vallue Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k list. Northern Illinois University is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 28 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois journalism students whose families make more than $110k list, NIU has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for NIU is $18,259 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make more than $110k.

Read full report on Journalism at NIU

#4

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Augustana College. The school came in at #4 for the Best Vallue Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k. This small school is located in Rock Island, Illinois, and it awarded 22 ’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 Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Augustana is $23,874 for illinois journalism students whose families make more than $110k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Journalism at Augustana

#5

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Dominican University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Vallue Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k list. Located in River Forest, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 1 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois journalism students whose families make more than $110k list, Dominican U has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Dominican U is $19,268 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make more than $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.

Full Dominican U Journalism Report

Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 30 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC also took the #12 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SIUC is $16,945 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make more than $110k.

Read full report on Journalism at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#7

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #7. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and 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 estimated yearly cost for Illinois State University is $20,895 for illinois journalism students whose families make more than $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

#8

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Vallue Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k list. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 13 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at EIU, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $14,607 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend EIU.

Read more about Journalism at EIU

#9

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #9. Western Illinois University is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

WIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for WIU is $16,210 for illinois journalism students whose families make more than $110k.

Read full report on Journalism at Western Illinois University

#10

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois

North Central College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Vallue Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k list. North Central is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Naperville, Illinois. It awarded 9 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

North Central also made our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $24,786 for illinois journalism students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend North Central College.

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

#11

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 271 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois journalism students whose families make more than $110k list, Northwestern has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $24,664 for illinois journalism students whose families make more than $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%. 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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Journalism at Northwestern

#12

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, Illinois

Concordia University, Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #12. 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 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Concordia University, Chicago also made our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #16. The yearly cost to attend Concordia University, Chicago is $16,512 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make more than $110k.

Full Concordia University, Chicago Journalism Report

#13

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Located in Peoria, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 9 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois journalism students whose families make more than $110k list, Bradley has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bradley University is $25,634 for illinois journalism students whose families make more than $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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Journalism at Bradley University

#14

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #14, Columbia College Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Columbia College Chicago is $31,099 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make more than $110k.

Read more about Journalism at Columbia College Chicago

#15

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Vallue Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k ranking. DePaul is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 62 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

DePaul not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul is $30,090 for illinois journalism students whose families make more than $110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Journalism at DePaul University

#16

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago ranked #16 on this year’s Best Vallue Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 29 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois journalism students whose families make more than $110k list, Loyola Chicago has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola University Chicago is $35,407 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make more than $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%.

Read full report on Journalism at Loyola 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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