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2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

16 Ranked Colleges
614 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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

Across Illinois, there were 614 general journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 16 colleges that offered a degree in general journalism. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general journalism programs, but they also cost less that 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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 Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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 when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 16 Best Value Colleges for General Journalism (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Northwestern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 271 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $6,452 for illinois journalism students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Northwestern.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%. 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.

Read more about General Journalism at Northwestern University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 64 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also made our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $13,351 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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 General Journalism Report

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #3 spot on the list. Springfield, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

UIS did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIS is $11,857 for illinois journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full University of Illinois at Springfield General Journalism Report

#4

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Augustana College landed the #4 spot on the list. Augustana College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rock Island, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 22 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Augustana not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Augustana College is $21,453 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Full Augustana College General Journalism Report

#5

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 28 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU also took the #10 spot in our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend NIU is $18,346 for illinois journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about General Journalism at NIU

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 30 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois journalism students whose families make $48-$75k list, SIUC has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SIUC is $14,985 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on General Journalism at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#7

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Charleston, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 13 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

EIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $13,560 for illinois journalism students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend EIU.

Full Eastern Illinois University General Journalism Report

#8

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Illinois State University is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 33 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also made our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $19,080 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k 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%.

Read more about General Journalism at Illinois State

#9

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. WIU is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 3 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU also took the #14 spot in our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Western Illinois University is $15,912 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on General Journalism at Western Illinois University

#10

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois

Dominican University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in River Forest, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 1 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

Dominican U also made our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for Dominican U is $18,582 for illinois journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

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.

Read full report on General Journalism at Dominican U

#11

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois

With a ranking of #11, North Central College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. This small school is located in Naperville, Illinois, and it awarded 9 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

North Central not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend North Central is $23,353 for illinois journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Journalism at North Central

#12

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Peoria, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 9 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

Bradley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Bradley is $22,865 for illinois journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Bradley University General Journalism Report

#13

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, Illinois

Concordia University, Chicago landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in River Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 2 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Concordia University, Chicago also took the #16 spot in our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Concordia University, Chicago is $17,295 for illinois journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Concordia University, Chicago General Journalism Report

#14

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #14, Columbia College Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Columbia is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 27 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia is $31,071 for illinois journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on General Journalism at Columbia College Chicago

#15

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 62 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul also made our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $28,075 for Illinois Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend DePaul University.

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%.

Read full report on General Journalism at DePaul

#16

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 29 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola University Chicago is $32,259 for illinois journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Journalism at Loyola Chicago

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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