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2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

15 Ranked Colleges
474 Degrees Awarded
$22,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” 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.

For this year’s “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 15 colleges that offer a degree in journalism. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality journalism programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the journalism program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

Top 15 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Journalism in Illinois (With Aid)

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 #1 for the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 61 students in 2019-2020.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $15,880 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Journalism Report

#2

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 151 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $24,664 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

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%. 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Journalism at Northwestern University

#3

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 #3 for the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 28 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Illinois University is $18,259 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

Read full report on Journalism at Northern Illinois University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. 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.

SIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $16,945 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid per year to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Read more about Journalism at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#4

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Charleston, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

EIU also made our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $14,607 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid per year to attend Eastern Illinois University.

Read full report on Journalism at EIU

#6

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid 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.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid list, Illinois State has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State University is $20,895 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

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 full report on Journalism at Illinois State

#7

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

With a ranking of #7, Western Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Western Illinois University is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid list, WIU has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $16,210 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid per year to attend Western Illinois University.

Read more about Journalism at Western Illinois University

#8

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

Dominican University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. River Forest, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Dominican U, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $19,268 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid per year to attend Dominican U.

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

#9

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Augustana College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Augustana is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rock Island, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Augustana also made our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Augustana is $23,874 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Journalism at Augustana College

#10

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

North Central College landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Naperville, Illinois, and it awarded 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 with aid 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%.

Read more about Journalism at North Central College

#11

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, Illinois
#15 in overall quality

Concordia University, Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. This medium-sized school is located in River Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid list, Concordia University, Chicago has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Concordia University, Chicago is $16,512 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

Full Concordia University, Chicago Journalism Report

#12

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, Bradley University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Peoria, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

Bradley also made our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend Bradley University is $25,634 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Bradley Journalism Report

#13

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #13, Columbia College Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 34 students 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. It costs about $31,099 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid per year to attend Columbia.

Read more about Journalism at Columbia

#14

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 42 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul also made our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul is $30,090 for illinois bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

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%.

Read more about Journalism at DePaul

#15

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 29 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago also made our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola University Chicago is $35,407 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.

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 Loyola University Chicago

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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