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2023 Most Popular Colleges for General Journalism in Illinois

19 Ranked Colleges
317 Degrees Awarded
$29,300 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois

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 “Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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

Across Illinois, there were 317 general journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois” ranking looked at 19 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general journalism. To top this list, a school must have a successful general journalism program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois journalism students.

1
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DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend DePaul University. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois. DePaul University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 65 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 more about General Journalism at DePaul

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 53 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read more about General Journalism at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

3
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Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Loyola University Chicago. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 39 ’s journalism 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full Loyola Chicago General Journalism Report

4
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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 #4 for the Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 34 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

Full Columbia College Chicago General Journalism Report

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois list. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school handed out 29 degrees 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%.

Full Illinois State University General Journalism Report

6

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois list. 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

7

Northern Illinois University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois list. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 17 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about General Journalism at NIU

8
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Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #8. Augustana College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rock Island, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Journalism at Augustana

9
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Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois

With a ranking of #9, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois list. Located in Charleston, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 10 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on General Journalism at Eastern Illinois University

10
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Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois

With a ranking of #10, Bradley University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois list. This medium-sized school is located in Peoria, Illinois, and it awarded 9 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Journalism at Bradley University

11
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North Central College
Naperville, Illinois

North Central College ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois list. North Central College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Naperville, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees 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%.

Full North Central General Journalism Report

12

University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois ranking. UIS is a public institution located in Springfield, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees 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 full report on General Journalism at UIS

13
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Lewis University
Romeoville, Illinois

Lewis University ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois list. Lewis University is a medium-sized school located in Romeoville, Illinois that handed out 3 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Lewis General Journalism Report

13

Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #13. Macomb, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

Full Western Illinois University General Journalism Report

15
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Dominican University
River Forest, Illinois

With a ranking of #15, Dominican University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois list. River Forest, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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 more about General Journalism at Dominican U

16
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Concordia University, Chicago
River Forest, Illinois

With a ranking of #16, Concordia University, Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois list. River Forest, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 1 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Journalism at Concordia University, Chicago

17
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Knox College
Galesburg, Illinois

Knox College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #17. Knox College is located in Galesburg, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 0 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. 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.

Full Knox College General Journalism Report

17
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Roosevelt University
Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 0 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on General Journalism at Roosevelt University

17
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Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois ranking. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 0 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Northwestern General Journalism Report

Notes and References

References

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