College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Journalism Schools in Illinois

11 Colleges in Illinois
332 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$33,522 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in journalism is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #69 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 11 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Journalism Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 332 degrees in journalism during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Journalism School

Best Journalism Schools in Illinois Your choice of journalism school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Journalism School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Journalism Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Journalism
Master's Degrees in Journalism

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Journalism Schools in Illinois list to help you make the college decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.


 

Best Schools for Journalism in Illinois

The schools below may not offer all types of journalism degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Illinois Schools in Journalism

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$35,459 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in journalism has to check out University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 53 journalism students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the journalism program state that they receive average early career income of $35,459.

More information about a degree in journalism from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
39 Journalism Degrees Awarded
25.6% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat Loyola University Chicago if you wish to pursue a degree in journalism. Located in the city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #137 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Loyola Chicago is a great university overall.

There were roughly 39 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the journalism program state that they receive average early career earnings of $33,124.

More information about a degree in journalism from Loyola University Chicago

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$27,165 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

Every student who is interested in journalism has to take a look at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Located in the city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 23rd out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 28 journalism students who graduated with this degree at SIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the journalism program state that they receive average early career wages of $27,165.

More information about a degree in journalism from Southern Illinois University Carbondale

4
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
65 Journalism Degrees Awarded
4.6% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in journalism has to take a look at DePaul University. Located in the large city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #203 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means DePaul is a great university overall.

There were approximately 65 journalism students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the journalism program earn about $31,712 for their early career.

More information about a degree in journalism from DePaul University

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
43 Journalism Degrees Awarded
20.9% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #370 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Columbia is a great college overall.

There were roughly 43 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the journalism program make about $30,841 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in journalism from Columbia College Chicago

6
Augustana crest
Augustana College
Rock Island, IL
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In IL

Augustana is a small private not-for-profit college located in the small city of Rock Island. This college ranks 21st out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 14 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Augustana in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in journalism from Augustana College

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In IL

Located in the medium-sized city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #309 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Bradley is a great university overall.

There were roughly 9 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Bradley in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in journalism from Bradley University

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$31,908 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #231 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.

There were about 29 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the journalism program state that they receive average early career income of $31,908.

More information about a degree in journalism from Illinois State University

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$30,216 Median Starting Salary
$25,750 Median Student Debt

NIU is a large public university located in the small suburb of Dekalb. This university ranks 24th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 17 journalism students who graduated with this degree at NIU in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, journalism degree recipients typically make about $30,216 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in journalism from Northern Illinois University

9
North Central crest
North Central College
Naperville, IL
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
11th Most Popular In IL

Located in the city of Naperville, North Central is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 25th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 6 journalism students who graduated with this degree at North Central in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in journalism from North Central College

Best Journalism Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Journalism Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 245
Ohio 314 426
Indiana 294 274
Wisconsin 273 325

View All Rankings >

Journalism is one of 5 different types of Communication & Journalism programs to choose from.

Journalism Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Journalism 317
Photojournalism 9
Other Journalism 6

View All Journalism Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Journalism

Related Major Annual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies 2,072
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 1,156
Public Relations & Advertising 942
Communication & Journalism (Other) 44

View All Journalism Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options