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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

9 Ranked Colleges
369 Degrees Awarded
$14,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 10,951 people earned their degree in communication and media studies, making the major the 74th most popular in the United States.

Across Illinois, there were 392 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 369 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 9 colleges that offered a degree in communication and media studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality communication and media studies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the communication and media studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The media studies 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 Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k”.

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. 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 Media Studies 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 media studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 9 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 38 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $5,477 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, 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 94%.

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

#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 77 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUE did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $8,055 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SIUE.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

#3

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #3 spot on the list. Illinois State University is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 67 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois State, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State University is $14,470 for illinois bachelor’s degree media studies 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 & Media Studies Report

#4

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Governors State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Governors State University is a small public school situated in University Park, Illinois. It awarded 8 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

GSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Governors State University is $10,872 for illinois bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Governors State University

#5

University of St Francis

Joliet, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of St Francis. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. This small school is located in Joliet, Illinois, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Saint Francis also took the #5 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $15,847 for illinois bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of St Francis.

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 & Media Studies Report

#6

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Olivet Nazarene University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Olivet Nazarene University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bourbonnais, Illinois. It awarded 14 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Olivet Nazarene did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $15,806 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Olivet Nazarene University.

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%.

Full Olivet Nazarene Communication & Media Studies Report

#8 in overall quality

Trinity International University - Illinois ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Trinity International University - Illinois is a small school located in Deerfield, Illinois that handed out 11 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at TIU Illinois, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $17,405 for illinois bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Trinity International University - Illinois.

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

Full TIU Illinois Communication & Media Studies Report

#8

North Park University

Chicago, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, North Park University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. North Park University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s media studies degrees to qualified students.

North Park did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend North Park University is $17,808 for illinois bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 & Media Studies at North Park University

#9

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

DePaul University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. DePaul University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 128 bachelors’s media studies degrees to qualified students.

DePaul did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $26,173 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend DePaul.

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%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at DePaul 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.

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