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

10 Ranked Colleges
392 Degrees Awarded
$14,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Media Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 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.

This year’s “Best Value Media Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 10 colleges that offered a degree in communication and media studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great communication and media studies programs and 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 media studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Communication & Media Studies Schools

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 in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k”.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Media Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Media Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 10 Best Value Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

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 in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 38 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

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

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UIUC Communication & Media Studies Report

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 in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. SIUE is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 83 ’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUE also took the #5 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $8,055 for illinois media studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SIUE.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at SIUE

#3

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school handed out 67 degrees to qualified ’s media studies students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois media studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, Illinois State has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State University is $14,470 for Illinois 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%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Illinois State University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. SIUC is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 7 ’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $13,658 for Illinois Media Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#5

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Media Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Governors State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in University Park, Illinois, this small public school handed out 18 degrees to qualified ’s media studies students in 2019-2020.

GSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Governors State University is $10,872 for Illinois Media Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at GSU

#6

University of St Francis

Joliet, Illinois

With a ranking of #6, University of St Francis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Joliet, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s media studies degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois media studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, University of Saint Francis has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Saint Francis is $15,847 for Illinois Media Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Full University of St Francis Communication & Media Studies Report

#7

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. This small school is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, and it awarded 14 ’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Olivet Nazarene also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for Olivet Nazarene University is $15,806 for Illinois Media Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 full report on Communication & Media Studies at Olivet Nazarene University

Trinity International University - Illinois ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Media Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. TIU Illinois is located in Deerfield, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 ’s media studies degrees to qualified students.

TIU Illinois also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend TIU Illinois is $17,405 for illinois media studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Trinity International University - Illinois

#9

North Park University

Chicago, Illinois

North Park University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Media Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. North Park is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 5 ’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

North Park not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for North Park University is $17,808 for Illinois Media Studies 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.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at North Park

#10

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Media Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. DePaul is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 128 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul University is $26,173 for illinois media studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full DePaul University Communication & Media Studies Report

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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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