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2022 Best Vallue Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k

15 Ranked Colleges
474 Degrees Awarded
$28,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Vallue Journalism Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Vallue Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 Illinois, there were 627 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,000 and $27,965 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 474 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Vallue Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k” ranking looked at 15 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in journalism. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great journalism programs and cost less that 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.

More Ways to Rank Journalism Schools

The journalism school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Vallue Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k”.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

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Best Vallue Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make more than $110k.

Top 15 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Journalism (Income Over $110k) in Illinois

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Vallue Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. UIUC 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make more than $110k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on Journalism at UIUC

#2

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Vallue Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k. 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.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make more than $110k list, NIU has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend NIU is $18,259 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make more than $110k.

Read more about Journalism at NIU

#3

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Augustana College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Vallue Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k. Located in Rock Island, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 22 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

Augustana also took the #3 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Augustana is $23,874 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make more than $110k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Journalism at Augustana

#4

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Dominican University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Vallue Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k list. Located in River Forest, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 1 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make more than $110k list, Dominican U has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Dominican University is $19,268 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make more than $110k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Dominican University Journalism Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Vallue Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k list. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 30 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make more than $110k list, SIUC has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $16,945 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Journalism Report

#6

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Vallue Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k list. Illinois State University is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 33 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make more than $110k list, Illinois State has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $20,895 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Illinois State University.

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%.

Read more about Journalism at Illinois State University

#7

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #7. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

EIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for EIU is $14,607 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make more than $110k.

Full Eastern Illinois University Journalism Report

#8

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 3 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make more than $110k list, WIU has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for WIU is $16,210 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make more than $110k.

Read more about Journalism at WIU

#9

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, North Central College did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k list. North Central is a small school located in Naperville, Illinois that handed out 9 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

North Central did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $24,786 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend North Central College.

The low student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 College Journalism Report

#10

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Northwestern 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 illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make more than $110k list, Northwestern has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $24,664 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make more than $110k.

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

Full Northwestern Journalism Report

#11

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, Illinois
#15 in overall quality

Concordia University, Chicago came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Concordia University, Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in River Forest, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Concordia University, Chicago, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Concordia University, Chicago is $16,512 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make more than $110k.

Read full report on Journalism at Concordia University, Chicago

#12

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Bradley University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Vallue Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Located in Peoria, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 9 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

Bradley also took the #6 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bradley University is $25,634 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make more than $110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 more about Journalism at Bradley University

#13

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Columbia College Chicago came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Columbia is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 34 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Columbia College Chicago is $31,099 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make more than $110k.

Read full report on Journalism at Columbia

#14

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Vallue Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k list. DePaul University is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 42 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at DePaul, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul University is $30,090 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make more than $110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full DePaul Journalism Report

#15

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #15, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k list. Loyola Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 29 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

Loyola Chicago also made our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend Loyola Chicago is $35,407 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make more than $110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 Loyola Chicago Journalism Report

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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