by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 13,552 people earned their degree in journalism, making the major the 69th most popular in the United States. 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. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,496 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,343 and $26,790 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 75 colleges that offer a degree in journalism. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their journalism program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central State University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Central State University is located in Wilberforce, Ohio and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
Out of the 75 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Olivet College landed the #2 spot on the list. Olivet, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Columbia College Chicago. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region. Columbia is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 43 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Franklin College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Franklin College is located in Franklin, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Whitewater is a fairly large public school situated in Whitewater, Wisconsin. It awarded 55 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Ohio University - Athens Campus ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Ohio University - Athens Campus is a large school located in Athens, Ohio that handed out 165 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Journalism at Ohio University - Athens Campus
Augustana College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small school is located in Rock Island, Illinois, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, 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%.
Indiana University - Southeast ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in New Albany, Indiana, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Journalism at Indiana University - Southeast
Mount Vernon Nazarene University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a small school located in Mount Vernon, Ohio that handed out 7 bachelors’s journalism 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%.
University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #10. University of Wisconsin - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 196 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Taylor University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Upland, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Bloomington, Indiana, this large public school awarded 123 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #13, Ball State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Ball State is a large public school situated in Muncie, Indiana. It awarded 61 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Marquette University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Marquette is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 30 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #15, Kent State University at Kent did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Kent, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 58 students in 2020-2021.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 28 students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #17, Ohio Wesleyan University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Delaware, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
With a ranking of #18, Goshen College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Goshen, Indiana, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 2 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%.
Michigan State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Michigan State University is a large school located in East Lansing, Michigan that handed out 103 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
DePaul University ranked #20 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. DePaul is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 47 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #21, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 39 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
North Central College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Naperville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
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%.
With a ranking of #23, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Oshkosh, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 18 students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #24, Miami University - Oxford did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large school is located in Oxford, Ohio, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Central Michigan University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #25. This fairly large school is located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and it awarded 35 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
