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2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois

44 Ranked Colleges
1,802 Degrees Awarded
$33,037 Avg Salary
Schools for a Bachelor's Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,802 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,117 and $25,584 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 44 colleges that offer a degree in communication and media studies. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in communication and media studies.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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The communications 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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois”.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree communications students.

Top 25 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in Illinois

1
Principia crest
Principia College
Elsah, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Principia College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois. Principia is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elsah, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Principia Communication & Media Studies Report

2
Eureka College crest
Eureka College
Eureka, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Eureka College. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois. Eureka College is a small school located in Eureka, Illinois that handed out 7 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Eureka College Communication & Media Studies Report

3
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Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Augustana College. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois. Augustana is a small school located in Rock Island, Illinois that handed out 43 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

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 more about Communication & Media Studies at Augustana College

4
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Blackburn College
Carlinville, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Blackburn College. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois. Carlinville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.

Full Blackburn Communication & Media Studies Report

5
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Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lake Forest College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois list. Located in Lake Forest, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 17 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Lake Forest

6

Northern Illinois University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois ranking. Northern Illinois University is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 160 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at NIU

7

University of Illinois at Springfield ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois list. Springfield, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 37 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at UIS

8
Wheaton College Illinois crest
Wheaton College Illinois
Wheaton, Illinois

Wheaton College Illinois landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Wheaton, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 29 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate 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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Wheaton College Illinois

9
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Monmouth College
Monmouth, Illinois

Monmouth College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #9. This small school is located in Monmouth, Illinois, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. 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.

Full Monmouth Communication & Media Studies Report

10

With a ranking of #10, Western Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois list. WIU is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 70 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.

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

11

Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #11. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 59 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Communication & Media Studies Report

12

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois list. SIUE is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 101 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at SIUE

13
Illinois State crest
Illinois State University
Normal, Illinois

With a ranking of #13, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois list. Illinois State is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 182 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Illinois State University

14
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Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. Olivet Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bourbonnais, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

15
North Park crest
North Park University
Chicago, Illinois

North Park University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s 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 bachelors’s communications degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at North Park University

16
GSU crest
Governors State University
University Park, Illinois

Governors State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois ranking. Located in University Park, Illinois, this small public school handed out 34 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2020-2021.

Full GSU Communication & Media Studies Report

17
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois ranking. DePaul is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 156 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at DePaul

18
Trinity Christian crest
Trinity Christian College
Palos Heights, Illinois

Trinity Christian College ranked #18 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois list. Trinity Christian is a private not-for-profit institution located in Palos Heights, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. 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 more about Communication & Media Studies at Trinity Christian

19
SXU crest
Saint Xavier University
Chicago, Illinois

Saint Xavier University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois ranking. SXU is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.

Full SXU Communication & Media Studies Report

20

Trinity International University - Illinois ranked #20 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois list. Trinity International University - Illinois is located in Deerfield, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

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

21

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #21. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 308 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, 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 94%.

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

22
EIU crest
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University ranked #22 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois list. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Eastern Illinois University Communication & Media Studies Report

23
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Millikin University
Decatur, Illinois

Millikin University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois ranking. Millikin is located in Decatur, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.

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 more about Communication & Media Studies at Millikin

24

Lincoln Christian University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Lincoln, Illinois, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Lincoln Christian College and Seminary

25
Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, Illinois

With a ranking of #25, Aurora University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois list. Aurora is a medium-sized school located in Aurora, Illinois that handed out 33 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Aurora University

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