2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k
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 “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Communication & Journalism is the 11th most popular major in the country with 121,387 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, communication and journalism graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,549 and had an average of $24,893 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 4,627 communication and journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,616 and $26,576 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 3,555 communication and journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 37 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in communication and journalism. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent communication and journalism programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the communication and journalism program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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More Ways to Rank Communication & Journalism Schools
The communication & journalism school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k”.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Journalism (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois
Out of the 37 schools in the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 354 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.
Northwestern also took the #1 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $1,866 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low 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 Communication & Journalism at Northwestern
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 623 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communication and journalism students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k list, UIUC has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $5,477 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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%.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. SIUE is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 128 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
SIUE also made our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $8,055 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SIUE.
Out of the 37 schools in the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school awarded 86 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communication and journalism students in 2019-2020.
UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $10,648 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UIC.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at University of Illinois at Chicago
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. NIU is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 192 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
NIU also took the #12 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend NIU is $15,281 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.
Saint Xavier University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Saint Xavier University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 27 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k list, SXU has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Saint Xavier University is $11,266 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full Saint Xavier University Communication & Journalism Report
Illinois State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Illinois State University is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 285 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois State, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State is $14,470 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.
Full Illinois State University Communication & Journalism Report
With a ranking of #8, Wheaton College Illinois did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Wheaton College Illinois is a small school located in Wheaton, Illinois that handed out 43 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
Wheaton College Illinois also took the #3 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Wheaton College Illinois is $18,440 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at Wheaton College Illinois
With a ranking of #9, Governors State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Governors State University is located in University Park, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 43 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Governors State University is $10,872 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full Governors State University Communication & Journalism Report
University of Illinois at Springfield ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Springfield, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to 32 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k list, UIS has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIS is $9,771 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at University of Illinois at Springfield
Lake Forest College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Lake Forest is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lake Forest, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 30 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Lake Forest did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $18,192 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lake Forest.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at Lake Forest College
Eastern Illinois University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Charleston, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to 83 students in 2019-2020.
EIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $12,350 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Eastern Illinois University.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at Eastern Illinois University
With a ranking of #13, Augustana College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Rock Island, Illinois, and it awarded 64 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
Augustana not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $20,355 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Augustana College.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Augustana College
Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. This medium-sized school is located in Macomb, Illinois, and it awarded 96 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
WIU also made our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #20. The estimated yearly cost for WIU is $13,942 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. SIUC is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 114 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $13,658 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SIUC.
Aurora University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Aurora is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Aurora, Illinois. It awarded 44 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k list, Aurora has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Aurora University is $14,103 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
Bradley University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Bradley is a private not-for-profit institution located in Peoria, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 104 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Bradley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Bradley is $17,205 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
University of St Francis ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Saint Francis is located in Joliet, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.
University of Saint Francis also took the #18 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $15,847 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Saint Francis.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at University of Saint Francis
Elmhurst University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. Elmhurst is located in Elmhurst, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.
Elmhurst not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Elmhurst University is $16,903 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #20, Monmouth College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Monmouth College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Monmouth, Illinois. It awarded 20 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
Monmouth did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $13,231 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Monmouth.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Millikin University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Millikin University is a small school located in Decatur, Illinois that handed out 18 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
Millikin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $17,656 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Millikin University.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Dominican University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. River Forest, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Dominican U, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Dominican U is $17,060 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.
The impressive 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.
Northeastern Illinois University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to 70 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Northeastern Illinois University is $14,816 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Northeastern Illinois University
With a ranking of #24, Quincy University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Quincy, Illinois, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Quincy U is $15,292 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at Quincy University
North Central College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. This small school is located in Naperville, Illinois, and it awarded 46 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
North Central also took the #8 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $18,889 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend North Central.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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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).
- 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 Josh Hallett.
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