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2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region

26 Ranked Colleges
1,555 Degrees Awarded
$18,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region

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 Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Communication & Media Studies is the 74th most popular major in the country with 10,951 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 1,659 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,555 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 26 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.

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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Communication & Media Studies Schools

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 Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree media studies students.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in the Great Lakes Region

#12 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region 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 #12 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $14,423 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree media studies students.

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

#2

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s media studies degrees to 67 students in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also took the #7 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $20,895 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students per year to attend Illinois State.

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%.

Full Illinois State Communication & Media Studies Report

#8 in overall quality

Out of the 26 schools in the Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this large public school awarded 152 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s media studies students in 2019-2020.

UWM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $17,876 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students per year to attend UWM.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

#4

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois
#21 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Governors State University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. GSU is a small public school situated in University Park, Illinois. It awarded 8 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

GSU also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #21. The estimated yearly cost for Governors State University is $12,077 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students.

Full GSU Communication & Media Studies Report

#10 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ohio University - Athens Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. OHIO Athens is a public institution located in Athens, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

OHIO Athens did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for OHIO Athens is $22,906 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree media studies students.

Full Ohio University - Athens Campus Communication & Media Studies Report

#6

University of Southern Indiana

Evansville, Indiana
#18 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, University of Southern Indiana did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Southern Indiana is a fairly large school located in Evansville, Indiana that handed out 26 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

USI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern Indiana is $13,437 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at University of Southern Indiana

#19 in overall quality

Wright State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Dayton, Ohio, this fairly large public school awarded 19 degrees to qualified bachelors’s media studies students in 2019-2020.

Wright State University - Main Campus also took the #19 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Wright State University - Main Campus is $16,823 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree media studies students.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Wright State University - Main Campus

#8

Indiana University - South Bend

South Bend, Indiana
#24 in overall quality

Indiana University - South Bend ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in South Bend, Indiana, this small public school awarded 7 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s media studies students in 2019-2020.

Indiana University - South Bend did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $8,717 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree media studies students per year to attend Indiana University - South Bend.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Indiana University - South Bend

#1 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 38 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $15,880 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree media studies students.

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 UIUC

#10

Rochester University

Rochester Hills, Michigan
#23 in overall quality

Rochester University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 17 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s media studies students in 2019-2020.

RU also took the #23 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend RU is $17,029 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree media studies students.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Rochester University

#25 in overall quality

Miami University - Hamilton ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Miami University - Hamilton is a small school located in Hamilton, Ohio that handed out 1 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Miami University - Hamilton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Miami University - Hamilton is $11,559 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree media studies students.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Miami University - Hamilton

#17 in overall quality

University of Michigan - Dearborn landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Dearborn, Michigan, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UM Dearborn also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #17. It costs about $11,473 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree media studies students per year to attend UM Dearborn.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 University of Michigan - Dearborn Communication & Media Studies Report

#13

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#3 in overall quality

Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Bloomington, Indiana, this large public school handed out 470 degrees to qualified bachelors’s media studies students in 2019-2020.

IU Bloomington also took the #3 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for IU Bloomington is $13,253 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, 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 91%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at IU Bloomington

#14

Otterbein University

Westerville, Ohio
#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, Otterbein University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Westerville, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s media studies degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.

Otterbein also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #13. The yearly cost to attend Otterbein University is $23,386 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree media studies students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Otterbein

#15

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#4 in overall quality

Michigan State University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Michigan State is a large public school situated in East Lansing, Michigan. It awarded 262 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Michigan State, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Michigan State is $19,173 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree media studies students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Michigan State

#16

Heidelberg University

Tiffin, Ohio
#16 in overall quality

Heidelberg University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #16. This small school is located in Tiffin, Ohio, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Heidelburg College also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $20,893 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree media studies students per year to attend Heidelberg University.

Full Heidelberg University Communication & Media Studies Report

#17

University of St Francis

Joliet, Illinois
#14 in overall quality

University of St Francis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #17. University of St Francis is located in Joliet, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s media studies degrees to qualified students.

University of Saint Francis also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $17,538 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students per year to attend University of Saint 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 Saint Francis Communication & Media Studies Report

#18

Saint Norbert College

De Pere, Wisconsin
#5 in overall quality

Saint Norbert College landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Saint Norbert College is located in De Pere, Wisconsin and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 28 bachelors’s media studies degrees to qualified students.

SNC also took the #5 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $26,340 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree media studies students per year to attend SNC.

The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%.

Full Saint Norbert College Communication & Media Studies Report

#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #19, Miami University - Oxford did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Miami University - Oxford is located in Oxford, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 62 bachelors’s media studies degrees to qualified students.

Miami University - Oxford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $24,323 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree media studies students per year to attend Miami University - Oxford.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Miami University - Oxford

#15 in overall quality

With a ranking of #20, Baldwin Wallace University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Baldwin Wallace University is located in Berea, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s media studies degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree media studies students list, Baldwin Wallace College has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Baldwin Wallace University is $22,917 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree media studies students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Baldwin Wallace College

#21

North Park University

Chicago, Illinois

North Park University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. North Park is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 5 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for North Park is $19,170 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies 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.

Full North Park University Communication & Media Studies Report

#22 in overall quality

With a ranking of #22, Trinity International University - Illinois did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Deerfield, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s media studies degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

TIU Illinois not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend TIU Illinois is $21,204 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree media studies students.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 Trinity International University - Illinois

#23

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois
#20 in overall quality

Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #23. Olivet Nazarene University is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s media studies degrees to qualified students.

Olivet Nazarene not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $20,195 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree media studies students per year to attend Olivet Nazarene University.

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

#24

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #24, DePaul University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. DePaul is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 128 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $30,090 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree media studies students per year to attend DePaul.

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 Communication & Media Studies Report

#25

Marquette University

Milwaukee, Wisconsin
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #25, Marquette University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 1 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s media studies students in 2019-2020.

Marquette not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Marquette University is $29,756 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree media studies students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 Marquette 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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