by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Illinois” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Journalism is the 69th most popular major in the country with 12,911 degrees awarded in 2021-2022. 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 Illinois, there were 316 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,522 and $27,663 respectively.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Illinois” ranking analyzed 21 colleges that offered 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.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Illinois” 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Illinois”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Columbia College Chicago. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Illinois list. Columbia College Chicago is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 25 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Augustana College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Illinois list. Rock Island, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 17 students in 2021-2022.
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 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend DePaul University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Illinois list. DePaul University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 55 ’s journalism 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Illinois. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 15 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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 more about Journalism at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Illinois. 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 impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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 School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 29 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, 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 88%.
North Central College ranked #7 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Illinois list. North Central College is located in Naperville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 4 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
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%.
Bradley University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #8. Peoria, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 10 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, 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 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Eastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #9. Charleston, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 12 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #10, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Illinois list. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 32 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Northern Illinois University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Illinois ranking. NIU is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 19 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Illinois at Springfield ranked #12 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Illinois list. University of Illinois at Springfield is located in Springfield, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 8 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%.
Full University of Illinois at Springfield Journalism Report
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #13. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 70 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Journalism Report
Dominican University ranked #14 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Illinois list. River Forest, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 4 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, 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.
Lewis University ranked #15 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Illinois list. This medium-sized school is located in Romeoville, Illinois, and it awarded 3 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Western Illinois University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 1 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Journalism at Western Illinois University
Concordia University, Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #17. Located in River Forest, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 0 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%.
Read full report on Journalism at Concordia University, Chicago
Benedictine University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Lisle, Illinois, and it awarded 0 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
Roosevelt University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Illinois ranking. Roosevelt University is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 2 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Northwestern University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #18. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 0 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 99%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Knox College landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Illinois ranking. Knox is located in Galesburg, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 3 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 more about our data sources and methodologies
