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2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region

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Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2021-2022, 12,911 people earned their degree in journalism, making the major the 69th most popular in the United States. In , journalism graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $32,980 and had an average of $23,933 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 1,543 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,946 and $25,594 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 84 colleges that offer a degree in journalism. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their journalism program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Journalism Schools

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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 “Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region” list to help you make the college decision.

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 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 Journalism in the Great Lakes Region

1
Central State University crest
Central State University
Wilberforce, Ohio

Out of the 84 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Central State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Central State University is a medium-sized school located in Wilberforce, Ohio that handed out 21 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad 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 Central State University

2
Olivet crest
Olivet College
Olivet, Michigan

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Olivet College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Olivet is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Olivet, Michigan. It awarded 13 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Journalism at Olivet College

3
Columbia crest
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 84 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia College Chicago landed the #3 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 25 ’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 Journalism at Columbia

4
Franklin College of Indiana crest
Franklin College
Franklin, Indiana

Out of the 84 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Franklin College landed the #4 spot on the list. This small school is located in Franklin, Indiana, and it awarded 7 ’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%.

Full Franklin College of Indiana Journalism Report

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. Ohio University - Athens Campus is a public institution located in Athens, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 160 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full OHIO Athens Journalism Report

6

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is a public institution located in Whitewater, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 45 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Journalism Report

7
Augustana crest
Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Augustana College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rock Island, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 17 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.

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

8

Indiana University - Southeast did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #8. Located in New Albany, Indiana, this small public school awarded 10 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 Journalism at Indiana University - Southeast

9

University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 200 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Journalism Report

10

Mount Vernon Nazarene University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Mount Vernon Nazarene University is located in Mount Vernon, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% 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 MVNU Journalism Report

11
Taylor U crest
Taylor University
Upland, Indiana

Taylor University ranked #11 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Taylor U is a private not-for-profit institution located in Upland, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, 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 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Journalism at Taylor University

12

Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #12. 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%.

Read full report on Journalism at IU Bloomington

13

With a ranking of #13, Kent State University at Kent did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Kent State is a public institution located in Kent, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 59 ’s 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 full report on Journalism at Kent State University at Kent

14
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. DePaul University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 55 ’s journalism degrees 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 full report on Journalism at DePaul University

15
Ball State crest
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Muncie, Indiana is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 92 students in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 Ball State Journalism Report

16
Marquette crest
Marquette University
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Marquette University ranked #16 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Marquette is a fairly large school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that handed out 25 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 Journalism at Marquette University

17
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in East Lansing, Michigan, this large public school awarded 106 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad 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 Michigan State

18

With a ranking of #18, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 15 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.

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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Journalism at SIUC

19

Ohio Wesleyan University ranked #19 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. OWU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Delaware, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 ’s 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%.

Full OWU Journalism Report

20
Goshen crest
Goshen College
Goshen, Indiana

Goshen College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Goshen, Indiana, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 2 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2021-2022.

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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Goshen College Journalism Report

21

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ranked #21 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 3 students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad 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 School of the Art Institute of Chicago

22
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #22, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 29 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Journalism at Loyola Chicago

23
North Central crest
North Central College
Naperville, Illinois

North Central College ranked #23 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. North Central College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Naperville, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Journalism at North Central College

24

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Oshkosh, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 15 students in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 UW Oshkosh

25

Miami University - Oxford ranked #25 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large school is located in Oxford, Ohio, and it awarded 40 ’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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Journalism at Miami University - Oxford

Notes and References

References

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