2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism
11
Ranked Colleges
332
Degrees Awarded
$30,100
Avg Cost*
Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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” 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.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism” ranking analyzed 11 colleges that offered a degree in journalism. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent journalism programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the journalism program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois vets studying journalism.
Top 11 Best Journalism Colleges for Veterans in Illinois
Out of the 11 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism 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 school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 53 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 10 of the 52,679 students enrolled at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign were GI Bill® students, of which 0 were 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 funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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%.
Full UIUC Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 11 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #2 spot on the list. SIUC is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 28 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.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 tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Read More…
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Columbia College Chicago. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism. Columbia is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 43 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Columbia supports 6,769 students, and 140 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 98 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $17,151. On top of their other funding sources, 25 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Columbia does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Columbia College Chicago]](/colleges/columbia-college-chicago/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North Central College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism list. North Central College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Naperville, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
North Central did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, North Central College supports 2,832 students, and 46 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 32 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $19,214. To help with additional expenses, 15 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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%.
Full North Central College Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 11 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 29 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Illinois State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 20,720 students enrolled at Illinois State University, 530 were 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. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Illinois State University does offer 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…
With a ranking of #6, DePaul University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 65 students in 2020-2021.
DePaul also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 21,922 students enrolled at DePaul University, 528 are 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. To help with additional expenses, 101 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. DePaul University offers credit for military training for eligible 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%.
Read More…
With a ranking of #7, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 39 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois vets studying journalism list, Loyola Chicago has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Loyola Chicago supports 16,893 students, and 261 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 165 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $17,263. During this same period, 78 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Loyola Chicago Veteran Student Life Report
Northern Illinois University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism ranking. NIU is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 17 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
NIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 480 of the 16,769 students enrolled at Northern Illinois University were GI Bill® students, of which 207 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,822. During this same period, 0 students qualified for 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 #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism ranking. EIU is a medium-sized public school situated in Charleston, Illinois. It awarded 10 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at EIU, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, EIU supports 8,626 students, and 184 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 46 are 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 received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Full Eastern Illinois University Veteran Student Life Report
Augustana College did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism ranking, coming in at #10. 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 14 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Augustana, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 2,389 students enrolled at Augustana, 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 tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $13,990. During this same period, 4 students received funds 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 full report on veteran student life at Augustana]](/colleges/augustana-college-illinois/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #11, Bradley University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Journalism list. Located in Peoria, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 9 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Bradley, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 5,855 students enrolled at Bradley, 96 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 61 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $13,498. To help with additional expenses, 7 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Bradley does offer 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%. 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]](/colleges/bradley-university/student-life/veterans/)
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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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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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