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2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k

130 Ranked Colleges
8,125 Degrees Awarded
$18,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k

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 Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 68,079 communication and media studies students received their degree, making the major the 9th most popular in the country. In 2017-2018, communication and media studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,728 and had an average of $24,931 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 9,349 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,317 and $25,730 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 8,125 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking looked at 130 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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.

Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 130 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 101 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $16,784 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 & Media Studies at Northwestern University

Out of the 130 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 242 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend U-M is $18,039 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 U-M

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is a fairly large school located in La Crosse, Wisconsin that handed out 103 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - La Crosse 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 yearly cost to attend UW - La Crosse is $16,573 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%.

Full University of Wisconsin - La Crosse Communication & Media Studies Report

#4

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Purdue is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 131 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Purdue did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $18,565 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Purdue University - Main Campus Communication & Media Studies Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k. UW - Whitewater is a fairly large school located in Whitewater, Wisconsin that handed out 141 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Whitewater did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UW - Whitewater is $17,364 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

#6

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 472 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

IU Bloomington 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. It costs about $18,951 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Indiana University - Bloomington.

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%.

Full Indiana University - Bloomington Communication & Media Studies Report

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 317 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.

UIUC 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 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $21,998 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Communication & Media Studies Report

#8

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - River Falls came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Located in River Falls, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school awarded 31 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $16,138 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UW - River Falls.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 & Media Studies at University of Wisconsin - River Falls

#9

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and it awarded 90 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UW - Stevens Point is $16,425 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school awarded 290 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k list, UW - Madison has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $21,860 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UW - Madison.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at UW - Madison

#11

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan

Oakland University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Oakland University is a fairly large school located in Rochester Hills, Michigan that handed out 146 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Oakland is $15,424 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Oakland

#12

University of Illinois at Springfield

Springfield, Illinois

With a ranking of #12, University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. UIS is a small public school situated in Springfield, Illinois. It awarded 32 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UIS is $17,342 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at University of Illinois at Springfield

#13

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 164 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $21,425 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Northern Illinois University.

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

With a ranking of #14, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Ohio State is located in Columbus, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 485 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.

Ohio State also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State is $21,364 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Ohio State

#15

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

Green Bay, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #15, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Green Bay, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school handed out 52 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $16,604 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UW - Green Bay.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

Indiana University - Northwest did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #16. Gary, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend IU Northwest is $13,292 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full IU Northwest Communication & Media Studies Report

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #17. Oshkosh, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 37 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $17,210 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at UW Oshkosh

University of Wisconsin - Parkside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #18. University of Wisconsin - Parkside is a small school located in Kenosha, Wisconsin that handed out 37 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Parkside is $14,993 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at UW - Parkside

#19

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Eau Claire, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #19, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school handed out 40 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UW - Eau Claire is $18,196 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k.

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

#20

DePauw University

Greencastle, Indiana

DePauw University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. DePauw University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Greencastle, Indiana. It awarded 56 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

DePauw did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend DePauw University is $23,477 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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 DePauw

#21

Rochester University

Rochester Hills, Michigan

Rochester University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This small school is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend RU is $18,098 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Rochester University

#22

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

Governors State University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. This small school is located in University Park, Illinois, and it awarded 43 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $17,845 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend GSU.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at GSU

#23

Indiana University - East

Richmond, Indiana

With a ranking of #23, Indiana University - East did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Indiana University - East is a small school located in Richmond, Indiana that handed out 34 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for IU East is $13,171 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Indiana University - East

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #24. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 128 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $18,928 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full SIUE Communication & Media Studies Report

University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 86 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $20,270 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UIC.

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 more about Communication & Media Studies at UIC

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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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