2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Journalism (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2019-2020, 121,387 people earned their degree in communication and journalism, making the major the 11th most popular in the United States. 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.
For this year’s “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 37 colleges that offer a degree 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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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 “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” 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. 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.
Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Journalism (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Northwestern 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. It costs about $3,995 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Northwestern.
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 student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Northwestern University
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 $30-$48k list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 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 $30-$48k list, UIUC has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $8,464 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Communication & Journalism Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. SIUE is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 128 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
SIUE did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $9,938 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Springfield. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. 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.
UIS not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIS is $8,323 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 86 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
UIC also made our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $11,185 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%.
With a ranking of #6, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 192 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
NIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend NIU is $15,861 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Northern Illinois University
Eastern Illinois University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Eastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Charleston, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 83 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
EIU also took the #22 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $11,316 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend EIU.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Eastern Illinois University
Saint Xavier University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k 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.
SXU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Saint Xavier University is $11,962 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.
Governors State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. University Park, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to 43 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $12,046 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend GSU.
Illinois State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. Illinois State University is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 285 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
Illinois State also made our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $14,999 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Illinois State University.
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%.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at Illinois State
Lake Forest College landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Lake Forest is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lake Forest, Illinois. It awarded 30 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Lake Forest, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $19,152 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Lake Forest College.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Western Illinois University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. WIU is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 96 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.
WIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for WIU is $14,526 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at Western Illinois University
With a ranking of #13, Wheaton College Illinois did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Wheaton College Illinois is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wheaton, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 43 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Wheaton College Illinois not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Wheaton College Illinois is $16,212 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Wheaton College Illinois
University of St Francis ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Joliet, Illinois, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Saint Francis, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Saint Francis is $11,229 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 University of St Francis Communication & Journalism Report
Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to 114 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend SIUC is $14,306 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.
Aurora University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Aurora, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 44 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 $30-$48k list, Aurora has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $13,845 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Aurora.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Augustana College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #17. Located in Rock Island, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 64 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communication and journalism students in 2019-2020.
Augustana did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Augustana College is $16,249 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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 more about Communication & Journalism at Augustana College
Dominican University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Dominican University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in River Forest, Illinois. It awarded 5 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees 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. It costs about $17,586 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Dominican U.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Bradley University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Peoria, Illinois, and it awarded 104 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 $30-$48k list, Bradley has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Bradley is $18,232 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at Bradley University
Monmouth College landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Monmouth is located in Monmouth, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.
Monmouth also took the #24 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Monmouth College is $14,337 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Elmhurst University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #21. This small school is located in Elmhurst, Illinois, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
Elmhurst also made our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #14. The estimated yearly cost for Elmhurst University is $17,837 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%.
Northeastern Illinois University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 70 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern Illinois University is $15,513 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Northeastern Illinois University
Millikin University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Millikin is located in Decatur, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 18 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.
Millikin not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Millikin University is $17,692 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.
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.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Millikin University
Quincy University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Quincy, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 8 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communication and journalism students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $17,518 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Quincy University.
With a ranking of #25, Olivet Nazarene University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Bourbonnais, 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 35 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Olivet Nazarene is $15,390 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low 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 Communication & Journalism at Olivet Nazarene University
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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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