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2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region

74 Ranked Colleges
1,518 Degrees Awarded
$30,300 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region

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 “Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.

General Journalism is the 69th most popular major in the country with 11,380 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 1,518 general journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 74 colleges that offered a degree in general journalism. That schools that top this list have a program in general journalism in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 “Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our 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 Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region journalism students.

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for General Journalism in the Great Lakes Region

1
Olivet crest
Olivet College
Olivet, Michigan

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Olivet College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Olivet, Michigan, and it awarded 7 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on General Journalism at Olivet College

2
Columbia crest
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Columbia College Chicago. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region. Columbia is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 34 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Columbia General Journalism Report

3
Franklin College of Indiana crest
Franklin College
Franklin, Indiana

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Franklin College. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region. Franklin College of Indiana is located in Franklin, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

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

Full Franklin College of Indiana General Journalism Report

4

Out of the 74 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is a public institution located in Whitewater, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 55 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full University of Wisconsin - Whitewater General Journalism Report

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ohio University - Athens Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region. This large school is located in Athens, Ohio, and it awarded 160 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Ohio University - Athens Campus General Journalism Report

6
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Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Augustana College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Rock Island, Illinois. It awarded 14 ’s journalism 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read more about General Journalism at Augustana

7
Indiana University - Southeast crest
Indiana University - Southeast
New Albany, Indiana

Indiana University - Southeast ranked #7 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. New Albany, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on General Journalism at Indiana University - Southeast

8

University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #8 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school awarded 209 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Journalism at UW - Madison

9
IU Bloomington crest
Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana

With a ranking of #9, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Bloomington, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 123 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, 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 undergraduate students.

Full IU Bloomington General Journalism Report

10

Kent State University at Kent ranked #10 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Kent, Ohio, this large public school awarded 74 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

Read more about General Journalism at Kent State

11
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 65 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full DePaul University General Journalism Report

12
Ball State crest
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University ranked #12 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Muncie, Indiana, this large public school awarded 68 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Journalism at Ball State University

13
Marquette crest
Marquette University
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Marquette University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Marquette is a fairly large school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that handed out 30 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The low undergrad 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 General Journalism Report

14
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

With a ranking of #14, Michigan State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. East Lansing, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 111 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, 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 undergraduate students.

Read more about General Journalism at Michigan State

15

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 28 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on General Journalism at SIUC

16

Ohio Wesleyan University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ohio Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Delaware, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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. The low undergrad 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%.

Read more about General Journalism at Ohio Wesleyan University

17
Goshen crest
Goshen College
Goshen, Indiana

Goshen College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #17. Goshen College is a small school located in Goshen, Indiana that handed out 2 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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 full report on General Journalism at Goshen College

18
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago ranked #18 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 39 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Journalism at Loyola University Chicago

19
North Central crest
North Central College
Naperville, Illinois

North Central College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Naperville, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.

Read more about General Journalism at North Central

20

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school handed out 18 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on General Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

21

Miami University - Oxford did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #21. Miami University - Oxford is located in Oxford, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 37 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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 Miami University - Oxford General Journalism Report

22
Oakland crest
Oakland University
Rochester Hills, Michigan

Oakland University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #22. This fairly large school is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and it awarded 29 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Journalism at Oakland

23
Madonna crest
Madonna University
Livonia, Michigan

Madonna University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Livonia, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.

Full Madonna General Journalism Report

24
Bradley crest
Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Peoria, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national 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.

Read full report on General Journalism at Bradley University

25
EIU crest
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois

With a ranking of #25, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 10 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Full EIU General Journalism Report

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