2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k
37
Ranked Colleges
1,618
Degrees Awarded
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Journalism is the 69th most popular major in the country with 13,552 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, journalism graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $32,953 and had an average of $23,734 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 1,618 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,946 and $25,109 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 37 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in journalism. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality journalism programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the journalism program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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 in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Journalism (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. UW - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 209 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $10,364 for great lakes region journalism students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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 full report on Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Out of the 37 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #2 spot on the list. IU Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 123 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
IU Bloomington also took the #3 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $12,369 for great lakes region journalism students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Indiana University - Bloomington.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read more about Journalism at Indiana University - Bloomington
Out of the 37 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 53 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
UIUC also took the #2 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $11,505 for great lakes region journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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%.
Read full report on Journalism at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Out of the 37 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Oakland University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, this fairly large public school handed out 29 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
Oakland did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $12,008 for Great Lakes Region Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Oakland University.
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 Journalism at Oakland University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is a large public school situated in Indianapolis, Indiana. It awarded 42 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at IUPUI, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,306 for Great Lakes Region Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis
Ball State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Muncie, Indiana, this large public school awarded 68 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
Ball State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $15,158 for Great Lakes Region Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Ball State.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Journalism at Ball State University
Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 46 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region journalism students whose families make $48-$75k list, Ohio State has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,273 for great lakes region journalism students whose families make $48-$75k 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Journalism at Ohio State
With a ranking of #8, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 28 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
SIUC also made our “Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $14,499 for Great Lakes Region Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend SIUC.
Read full report on Journalism at SIUC
Central Michigan University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Mount Pleasant, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 35 students in 2020-2021.
Central Michigan also took the #20 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Central Michigan is $15,720 for great lakes region journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Central Michigan University Journalism Report
Michigan State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in East Lansing, Michigan, this large public school handed out 111 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
Michigan State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State University is $20,557 for Great Lakes Region Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 full report on Journalism at Michigan State University
University of Wisconsin - Whitewater came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is a fairly large school located in Whitewater, Wisconsin that handed out 55 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
UW - Whitewater also took the #23 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Whitewater is $14,226 for great lakes region journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read more about Journalism at UW - Whitewater
With a ranking of #12, Indiana University - Southeast did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Indiana University - Southeast is a small public school situated in New Albany, Indiana. It awarded 13 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $12,931 for Great Lakes Region Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Indiana University - Southeast.
Read full report on Journalism at Indiana University - Southeast
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and it awarded 18 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
UW Oshkosh also made our “Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #25. The yearly cost to attend UW Oshkosh is $14,157 for Great Lakes Region Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.
Full University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Journalism Report
Ohio University - Athens Campus ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Athens, Ohio, this large public school awarded 185 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at OHIO Athens, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $23,509 for great lakes region journalism students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Ohio University - Athens Campus.
Read more about Journalism at Ohio University - Athens Campus
Wayne State University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Wayne State is a large public school situated in Detroit, Michigan. It awarded 29 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $13,612 for Great Lakes Region Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Wayne State University.
Read full report on Journalism at Wayne State University
With a ranking of #16, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and it awarded 11 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend UW - Eau Claire is $14,737 for Great Lakes Region Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read full report on Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
Kent State University at Kent ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Kent, Ohio, this large public school awarded 74 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Kent State, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $19,508 for great lakes region journalism students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Kent State.
Read full report on Journalism at Kent State University at Kent
Eastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #18. Eastern Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Charleston, Illinois that handed out 10 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Eastern Illinois University is $12,675 for Great Lakes Region Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read more about Journalism at Eastern Illinois University
University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Springfield, Illinois, this small public school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for UIS is $11,492 for Great Lakes Region Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%.
Full University of Illinois at Springfield Journalism Report
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UC is located in Cincinnati, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 35 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
UC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is $20,867 for great lakes region journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Journalism Report
Miami University - Oxford did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Oxford, Ohio, this fairly large public school awarded 37 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
Miami University - Oxford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Miami University - Oxford is $23,513 for great lakes region journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Journalism at Miami University - Oxford
Eastern Michigan University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #22. Eastern Michigan is a fairly large school located in Ypsilanti, Michigan that handed out 11 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Eastern Michigan is $14,547 for great lakes region journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read more about Journalism at Eastern Michigan
Bowling Green State University - Main Campus landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. BGSU is a public institution located in Bowling Green, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $18,606 for Great Lakes Region Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend BGSU.
Read more about Journalism at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus
Illinois State University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Illinois State University is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 29 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Illinois State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $19,293 for Great Lakes Region Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Illinois State University.
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 full report on Journalism at Illinois State
Western Michigan University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and it awarded 8 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region journalism students whose families make $48-$75k list, WMU has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Western Michigan University is $20,840 for Great Lakes Region Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.
Full WMU Journalism Report
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