2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois
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” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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” 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.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the communication and journalism program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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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”.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Journalism in Illinois
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 623 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $15,880 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students per year to attend UIUC.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Illinois State is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 285 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Illinois State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State University is $20,895 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students.
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%.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at Illinois State
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. This fairly large school is located in Edwardsville, Illinois, and it awarded 128 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
SIUE not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $14,423 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students 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. University of Illinois at Springfield is a small school located in Springfield, Illinois that handed out 32 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
UIS did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Springfield is $12,477 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at University of Illinois at Springfield
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. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 192 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
NIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for NIU is $18,259 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students.
University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 86 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
UIC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Chicago is $13,312 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism 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%.
With a ranking of #7, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Located in Charleston, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 83 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 list, EIU has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Eastern Illinois University is $14,607 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students.
Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #8. WIU is a medium-sized school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 96 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students list, WIU has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for WIU is $16,210 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Western Illinois University
Governors State University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Located in University Park, Illinois, this small public school awarded 43 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communication and journalism students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $12,077 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students per year to attend GSU.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Governors State University
Northeastern Illinois University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Northeastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 70 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,843 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students per year to attend Northeastern Illinois University.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at Northeastern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. 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 estimated yearly cost for SIUC is $16,945 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Chicago State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #12. CSU is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $11,733 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students per year to attend Chicago State University.
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.
Full Chicago State University Communication & Journalism Report
DeVry University - Illinois did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private for-profit school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communication and journalism students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for DeVry University - Illinois is $28,551 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at DeVry University - Illinois
With a ranking of #14, Aurora University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Aurora is located in Aurora, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 44 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students list, Aurora has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $17,215 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students per year to attend Aurora University.
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%.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Aurora University
Bradley University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Bradley University is located in Peoria, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 104 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.
Bradley also took the #7 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bradley University is $25,634 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%.
Wheaton College Illinois ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. This small school is located in Wheaton, Illinois, and it awarded 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. It costs about $25,358 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students per year to attend Wheaton College Illinois.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%. 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 more about Communication & Journalism at Wheaton College Illinois
Trinity Christian College landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Trinity Christian is located in Palos Heights, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.
Trinity Christian not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Trinity Christian College is $21,904 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students.
The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%. 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.
Columbia College Chicago ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Columbia is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 140 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students list, Columbia has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $31,099 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students per year to attend Columbia.
Quincy University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Quincy U is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Quincy, Illinois. It awarded 8 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Quincy University is $17,497 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students.
Benedictine University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Benedictine University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lisle, Illinois. It awarded 26 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $25,143 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students per year to attend Benedictine U.
Full Benedictine University Communication & Journalism Report
University of St Francis came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. University of Saint Francis is a private not-for-profit institution located in Joliet, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
University of Saint Francis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of St Francis is $17,538 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at University of Saint Francis
Dominican University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Located in River Forest, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communication and journalism students in 2019-2020.
Dominican U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Dominican University is $19,268 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students.
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.
With a ranking of #23, Eureka College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. This small school is located in Eureka, Illinois, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Eureka College is $21,344 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students.
With a ranking of #24, Saint Xavier University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. 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 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 $14,528 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students.
North Park University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. North Park is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for North Park University is $19,170 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students.
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.
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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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