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2023 Most Focused Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in Illinois

45 Ranked Colleges
2,072 Degrees Awarded
$27,400 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Communication & Media Studies is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 10th of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 66,787 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2019-2020, communication and media studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $34,115 and had an average of $25,414 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 2,072 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,207 and $24,284 respectively.

This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois” ranking looked at 45 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in communication and media studies. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in communication and media studies.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 “Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois” 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois communications students.

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in Illinois

1
Principia crest
Principia College
Elsah, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Principia College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in Elsah, Illinois, and it awarded 8 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Principia Communication & Media Studies Report

2
Eureka College crest
Eureka College
Eureka, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eureka College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois list. Located in Eureka, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 7 degrees to qualified ’s communications students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Eureka College

3
Augustana crest
Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Augustana College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois list. Augustana College is located in Rock Island, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 43 ’s communications degrees to qualified students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Augustana

4

Out of the 45 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeastern Illinois University landed the #4 spot on the list. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 73 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Northeastern Illinois University

5
Blackburn crest
Blackburn College
Carlinville, Illinois

Out of the 45 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Blackburn College landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Carlinville, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 4 diplomas to qualified ’s communications students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Blackburn College

6

Northern Illinois University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois ranking. NIU is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 174 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at NIU

7
Illinois State crest
Illinois State University
Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois ranking. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s communications degrees to 226 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Illinois State University Communication & Media Studies Report

8

University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Springfield, Illinois, this small public school awarded 40 degrees to qualified ’s communications students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 & Media Studies at University of Illinois at Springfield

9
Lake Forest crest
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, Illinois

Lake Forest College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #9. Lake Forest, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s communications degrees to 17 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Lake Forest College

10

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ranked #10 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois list. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s communications degrees to 116 students in 2020-2021.

Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Communication & Media Studies Report

11
Wheaton College Illinois crest
Wheaton College Illinois
Wheaton, Illinois

With a ranking of #11, Wheaton College Illinois did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois list. Wheaton College Illinois is a small school located in Wheaton, Illinois that handed out 29 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate 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.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Wheaton College Illinois

12
Monmouth crest
Monmouth College
Monmouth, Illinois

Monmouth College ranked #12 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois list. Monmouth, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s communications degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. The undergraduate 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.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Monmouth

13

Western Illinois University ranked #13 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois list. Macomb, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s communications degrees to 70 students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at WIU

14
GSU crest
Governors State University
University Park, Illinois

Governors State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois ranking. Governors State University is a small school located in University Park, Illinois that handed out 39 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Governors State University Communication & Media Studies Report

15
Olivet Nazarene crest
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, Illinois

With a ranking of #15, Olivet Nazarene University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois list. Olivet Nazarene is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 41 ’s communications degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Olivet Nazarene University

16
North Park crest
North Park University
Chicago, Illinois

North Park University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s communications degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full North Park Communication & Media Studies Report

17
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #17, DePaul University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois list. DePaul University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 173 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full DePaul University Communication & Media Studies Report

18
EIU crest
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois

With a ranking of #18, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois list. EIU is a public institution located in Charleston, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 52 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at EIU

19
Trinity Christian crest
Trinity Christian College
Palos Heights, Illinois

With a ranking of #19, Trinity Christian College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in Palos Heights, Illinois, and it awarded 8 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%.

Full Trinity Christian Communication & Media Studies Report

20
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois ranking. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 207 ’s communications degrees to qualified students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Northwestern University

21

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois ranking. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 327 ’s communications degrees to qualified students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

22
SXU crest
Saint Xavier University
Chicago, Illinois

Saint Xavier University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s communications degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Saint Xavier University

23

With a ranking of #23, Trinity International University - Illinois did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois list. TIU Illinois is located in Deerfield, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 ’s communications degrees to qualified students.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Trinity International University - Illinois Communication & Media Studies Report

24
Columbia crest
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Columbia College Chicago ranked #24 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois list. Columbia College Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 25 ’s communications degrees to qualified students.

Full Columbia College Chicago Communication & Media Studies Report

25
Millikin crest
Millikin University
Decatur, Illinois

Millikin University ranked #25 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois list. Located in Decatur, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 9 degrees to qualified ’s communications students in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Millikin University

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