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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Journalism (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region

45 Ranked Colleges
1,674 Degrees Awarded
$11,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

General Journalism is the 58th most popular major in the country with 12,336 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 1,879 general journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,674 general journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 45 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general journalism. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general journalism 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 general journalism 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 General Journalism Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Journalism (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 151 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $3,995 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, 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 97%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on General Journalism at Northwestern

#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 233 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $6,860 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $30-$48k 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 student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Journalism at UW - Madison

#3

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 45 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #3 spot on the list. IU Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 142 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

IU Bloomington did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $6,192 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend IU Bloomington.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Journalism at IU Bloomington

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 45 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #4 spot on the list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 59 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $8,464 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign General Journalism Report

#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Ohio State is a large school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 53 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $30-$48k list, Ohio State has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $10,037 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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 General Journalism at Ohio State University - Main Campus

#10 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is a public institution located in Whitewater, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 46 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Whitewater, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is $12,156 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on General Journalism at UW - Whitewater

#23 in overall quality

Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

IUPUI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is $6,315 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about General Journalism at Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

#8

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin
#20 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - River Falls did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. River Falls, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

UW - River Falls also took the #20 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $10,124 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls.

The 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 more about General Journalism at University of Wisconsin - River Falls

#15 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire is a fairly large public school situated in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It awarded 7 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Eau Claire not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $11,828 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UW - Eau Claire.

Read more about General Journalism at UW - Eau Claire

#10

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana
#17 in overall quality

Ball State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Ball State is a public institution located in Muncie, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 71 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ball State, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ball State University is $10,487 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Ball State General Journalism Report

#11

Indiana University - Southeast

New Albany, Indiana

Indiana University - Southeast ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Indiana University - Southeast is located in New Albany, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $8,675 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Indiana University - Southeast.

Read more about General Journalism at Indiana University - Southeast

#21 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Oshkosh not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW Oshkosh is $13,114 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about General Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

#13

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan

With a ranking of #13, Oakland University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Oakland University is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $7,751 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Oakland.

Read more about General Journalism at Oakland University

#14

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#6 in overall quality

Michigan State University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in East Lansing, Michigan, and it awarded 96 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $30-$48k list, Michigan State has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State University is $15,197 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national 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 General Journalism at Michigan State University

#15

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. NIU is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 28 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,861 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Northern Illinois University.

Full NIU General Journalism Report

#16

Wayne State University

Detroit, Michigan

With a ranking of #16, Wayne State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Wayne State University is located in Detroit, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 35 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $11,554 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Wayne State University.

Full Wayne State University General Journalism Report

#17

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#12 in overall quality

Illinois State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also took the #12 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $14,999 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Illinois State University.

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 University General Journalism Report

#18

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend EIU is $11,316 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about General Journalism at EIU

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 30 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $14,306 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on General Journalism at SIUC

#20

University of Southern Indiana

Evansville, Indiana

University of Southern Indiana ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Southern Indiana is located in Evansville, Indiana and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend University of Southern Indiana is $9,842 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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 University of Southern Indiana General Journalism Report

#9 in overall quality

Miami University - Oxford ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Miami University - Oxford is located in Oxford, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 38 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

Miami University - Oxford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $17,692 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $30-$48k 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 General Journalism at Miami University - Oxford

#22

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Central Michigan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #22. Central Michigan is a public institution located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,127 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Central Michigan University.

Read full report on General Journalism at Central Michigan University

#23

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. WIU is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Western Illinois University is $14,526 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full WIU General Journalism Report

#24

Franklin College

Franklin, Indiana

With a ranking of #24, Franklin College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Franklin College of Indiana is a private not-for-profit institution located in Franklin, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Franklin College is $16,814 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on General Journalism at Franklin College

#25

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Augustana College landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Augustana is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rock Island, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Augustana not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $16,249 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Augustana.

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 low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 General Journalism at Augustana

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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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Jfurrer.

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