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2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois

21 Ranked Colleges
332 Degrees Awarded
$30,500 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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 Illinois, there were 332 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,522 and $23,595 respectively.

This year’s “Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois” ranking looked at 21 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in journalism. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in journalism.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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.

Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois”.

1
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DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 21 schools in the Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, DePaul University landed the #1 spot on the list. DePaul is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 65 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.

Full DePaul Journalism Report

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 53 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, 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 94%.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Journalism Report

3
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Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 21 schools in the Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia College Chicago landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 43 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Journalism at Columbia College Chicago

4
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Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Loyola University Chicago. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 39 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Journalism at Loyola Chicago

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 29 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Journalism at Illinois State University

6

Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 28 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Journalism at SIUC

7

Northern Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois ranking. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 17 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Journalism at NIU

8
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Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois ranking. Augustana is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rock Island, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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

Full Augustana College Journalism Report

9
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Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois ranking. Eastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Charleston, Illinois. It awarded 10 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Journalism at Eastern Illinois University

10
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Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois

With a ranking of #10, Bradley University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois list. This medium-sized school is located in Peoria, Illinois, and it awarded 9 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad 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

11
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North Central College
Naperville, Illinois

North Central College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois ranking. Naperville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.

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 North Central College

11

School of the Art Institute of Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Journalism at School of the Art Institute of Chicago

13

University of Illinois at Springfield ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois list. Springfield, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad 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 full report on Journalism at University of Illinois at Springfield

14

Western Illinois University ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois list. WIU is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 3 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Journalism at WIU

14
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Lewis University
Romeoville, Illinois

Lewis University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois ranking. Lewis University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Romeoville, Illinois. It awarded 3 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 Lewis Journalism Report

16
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Dominican University
River Forest, Illinois

Dominican University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois ranking. River Forest, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Journalism at Dominican U

17
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Concordia University, Chicago
River Forest, Illinois

Concordia University, Chicago ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois list. This medium-sized school is located in River Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 1 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Journalism at Concordia University, Chicago

18
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Knox College
Galesburg, Illinois

Knox College landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Galesburg, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 0 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Journalism at Knox College

18
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Benedictine University
Lisle, Illinois

Benedictine University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Lisle, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 0 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.9% 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 full report on Journalism at Benedictine University

18
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Roosevelt University
Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois ranking. Roosevelt is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 0 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Journalism at Roosevelt

18
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Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #18. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 0 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Northwestern Journalism Report

Notes and References

References

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