2023 Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Illinois
10
Ranked Colleges
300
Degrees Awarded
$32,059
Avg Salary
When it comes to choosing a college, veterans have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism for a Bachelor’s” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Journalism is the 69th most popular major in the country with 13,552 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, journalism graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $32,953 and had an average of $23,734 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 332 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,522 and $23,595 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 300 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,117 and $25,584 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism for a Bachelor’s” ranking, we looked at 10 colleges that offer a degree in journalism. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great journalism programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the journalism program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism for a Bachelor’s” list to help you make the college decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism for a Bachelor’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree vets studying journalism.
Top 10 Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Illinois
Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 49 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
UIUC also made our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1.According to our most recent data, UIUC supports 52,679 students, and 10 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 0 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UIUC offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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 veteran student life at UIUC]](/colleges/university-of-illinois-at-urbana-champaign/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 28 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
SIUC also made our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #7.Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 11,366 students enrolled at SIUC were GI Bill® students, of which 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Full SIUC Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia College Chicago landed the #3 spot on the list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 43 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree vets studying journalism list, Columbia has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 140 of the 6,769 students enrolled at Columbia College Chicago were GI Bill® students, of which 98 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $17,151. On top of their other funding sources, 25 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Full Columbia College Chicago Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend DePaul University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism for a Bachelor’s list. DePaul University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 47 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at DePaul, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Of the 21,922 students enrolled at DePaul, 528 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 367 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,957. On top of their other funding sources, 101 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. DePaul offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Illinois State is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 29 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree vets studying journalism list, Illinois State has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Among the 20,720 students enrolled at Illinois State, 530 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 163 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,997. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Illinois State University Veteran Student Life Report
Loyola University Chicago came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism for a Bachelor’s ranking. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Loyola Chicago, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 261 of the 16,893 students enrolled at Loyola Chicago were GI Bill® students, of which 165 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $17,263. On top of their other funding sources, 78 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 Loyola University Chicago Veteran Student Life Report
Northern Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism for a Bachelor’s ranking. NIU is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 17 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
NIU also took the #9 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Among the 16,769 students enrolled at NIU, 480 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 207 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,822. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
[Read full report on veteran student life at NIU]](/colleges/northern-illinois-university/student-life/veterans/)
Eastern Illinois University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism for a Bachelor’s ranking. EIU is a public institution located in Charleston, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
EIU also took the #10 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 184 of the 8,626 students enrolled at EIU were GI Bill® students, of which 46 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,730. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. EIU does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Eastern Illinois University]](/colleges/eastern-illinois-university/student-life/veterans/)
Augustana College landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism for a Bachelor’s ranking. Rock Island, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.
Augustana also made our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #5.Of the 2,389 students enrolled at Augustana College, 28 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 14 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $13,990. On top of their other funding sources, 4 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
Bradley University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism for a Bachelor’s list. Bradley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Peoria, Illinois. It awarded 9 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Bradley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.According to our most recent data, Bradley supports 5,855 students, and 96 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 61 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $13,498. In addition to receiving other benefits, 7 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Bradley does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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 86%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Bradley University]](/colleges/bradley-university/student-life/veterans/)
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