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2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k

48 Ranked Colleges
1,771 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

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

Journalism is the 62nd most popular major in the country with 14,528 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, journalism graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $31,042 and had an average of $24,628 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 1,983 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,873 and $26,636 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,771 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 analyzed 48 colleges that offered a degree in journalism. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality journalism programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the journalism program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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.

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.

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

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 48 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, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 151 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, Northwestern has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $3,995 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Northwestern.

Since the school has a 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 impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, 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 97%.

Read full report on Journalism at Northwestern

Out of the 48 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 Wisconsin - Madison landed the #2 spot on the list. UW - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 233 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UW - Madison is $6,860 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Madison

#3

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Bloomington. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Indiana University - Bloomington is a public institution located in Bloomington, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 142 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at IU Bloomington, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $6,192 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Indiana University - Bloomington.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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 Journalism at IU Bloomington

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 61 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

UIUC also made our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $8,464 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 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.

Read full report on Journalism at UIUC

Out of the 48 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, Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 53 students in 2019-2020.

Ohio State also took the #9 spot in our “Best 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.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Ohio State Journalism Report

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater ranked #6 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 Wisconsin - Whitewater is a fairly large public school situated in Whitewater, Wisconsin. It awarded 46 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Whitewater did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $12,156 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater.

Read more about Journalism at UW - Whitewater

With a ranking of #7, Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis 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. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, this large public school awarded 33 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

IUPUI also took the #24 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for IUPUI is $6,315 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Journalism Report

#8

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #8, University of Wisconsin - River Falls 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. University of Wisconsin - River Falls is a public institution located in River Falls, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - River Falls did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $10,124 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UW - River Falls.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 full report on Journalism at UW - River Falls

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. Located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school awarded 7 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

UW - Eau Claire not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best 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.

Full UW - Eau Claire Journalism Report

#10

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana

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 University is a public institution located in Muncie, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 71 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Ball State also made our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #18. The yearly cost to attend Ball State University is $10,487 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Journalism at Ball State University

#11

Indiana University - Southeast

New Albany, Indiana

Indiana University - Southeast 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 #11. Located in New Albany, Indiana, this small public school awarded 21 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Southeast is $8,675 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Journalism at Indiana University - Southeast

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh 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 #12. UW Oshkosh is a fairly large public school situated in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It awarded 19 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, UW Oshkosh has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is $13,114 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Journalism at UW Oshkosh

#13

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan

Oakland University came in at #13 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. Oakland 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.

The yearly cost to attend Oakland University is $7,751 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Journalism at Oakland

#14

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University came in at #14 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. East Lansing, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 96 students 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 Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,197 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Michigan State.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, 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 students.

Full Michigan State Journalism Report

#15

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois 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 #15. Northern Illinois University is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 28 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

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.

Read full report on Journalism at Northern Illinois University

#16

Wayne State University

Detroit, Michigan

Wayne State 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 #16. Wayne State University is a public institution located in Detroit, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 35 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Wayne State is $11,554 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Wayne State University Journalism Report

#17

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

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. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 33 students in 2019-2020.

Illinois State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State University is $14,999 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

Full Illinois State Journalism Report

#18

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

With a ranking of #18, Eastern Illinois 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. Located in Charleston, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,316 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Eastern Illinois University.

Read more about Journalism at Eastern Illinois University

Southern Illinois University Carbondale 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 #19. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 30 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for SIUC is $14,306 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Journalism at SIUC

#20

University of Southern Indiana

Evansville, Indiana

University of Southern Indiana came in at #20 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. USI is a public institution located in Evansville, Indiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,842 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend USI.

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 USI Journalism Report

Miami University - Oxford came in at #21 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. 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Miami University - Oxford is $17,692 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Full Miami University - Oxford Journalism Report

#22

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Central Michigan University ranked #22 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 Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and it awarded 40 bachelors’s journalism 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 Journalism at Central Michigan

#23

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. WIU is a medium-sized school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 3 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Western Illinois University is $14,526 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Journalism at WIU

#24

Franklin College

Franklin, Indiana

Franklin College came in at #24 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. Franklin College of Indiana is a small school located in Franklin, Indiana that handed out 2 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

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

Read full report on Journalism at Franklin College of Indiana

#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 small school located in Rock Island, Illinois that handed out 22 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Augustana not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Augustana is $16,249 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 3.4%, 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 85%.

Full Augustana College Journalism Report

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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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