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2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k

147 Ranked Colleges
14,850 Degrees Awarded
$9,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

Communication & Journalism is the 11th most popular major in the country with 121,387 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, communication and journalism graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,549 and had an average of $24,893 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 18,381 communication and journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,631 and $25,490 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 14,850 communication and journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 147 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in communication and journalism. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent communication and journalism programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the communication and 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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.

Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Journalism (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 147 schools in the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 354 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern also took the #1 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $3,995 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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. 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%.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Northwestern

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 147 schools in the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #2 spot on the list. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to 242 students in 2019-2020.

U-M also made our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend U-M is $5,887 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at U-M

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school handed out 523 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communication and journalism students in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $6,860 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UW - Madison.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Madison

#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 623 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communication and journalism students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k list, UIUC has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $8,464 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#5

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#15 in overall quality

Out of the 147 schools in the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. West Lafayette, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to 131 students in 2019-2020.

Purdue also made our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend Purdue University - Main Campus is $5,879 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, 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 93%.

Full Purdue Communication & Journalism Report

#6

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#7 in overall quality

Indiana University - Bloomington came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Bloomington, Indiana, this large public school awarded 616 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communication and journalism students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k list, IU Bloomington has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Bloomington is $6,192 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, 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 91%.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at IU Bloomington

#7

Franklin University

Columbus, Ohio

Franklin University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Franklin University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 22 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Franklin University is $11,992 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Franklin University

#10 in overall quality

Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Ohio State is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 563 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ohio State, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $10,037 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Ohio State.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Ohio State

#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is a fairly large school located in La Crosse, Wisconsin that handed out 103 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k list, UW - La Crosse has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $9,795 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UW - La Crosse.

The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at UW - La Crosse

Indiana University - Northwest landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Indiana University - Northwest is located in Gary, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for IU Northwest is $4,960 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Indiana University - Northwest Communication & Journalism Report

#11

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin
Top 25% in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - River Falls ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. River Falls, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to 92 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,124 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UW - River Falls.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Wisconsin - River Falls Communication & Journalism Report

#12

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Whitewater, Wisconsin
#23 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #12. University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is a fairly large public school situated in Whitewater, Wisconsin. It awarded 187 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Whitewater also made our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #23. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is $12,156 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

#13

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 90 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is $11,433 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Edwardsville, Illinois, and it awarded 128 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $9,938 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Communication & Journalism Report

Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #15. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is a large public school situated in Indianapolis, Indiana. It awarded 196 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is $6,315 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at IUPUI

#16

Denison University

Granville, Ohio
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #16, Denison University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Granville, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to 78 students in 2019-2020.

Denison also made our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $13,909 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Denison University.

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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Denison Communication & Journalism Report

#17

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Top 25% in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire is a public institution located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 95 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,828 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at UW - Eau Claire

#18

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan

Oakland University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #18. This fairly large school is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and it awarded 186 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,751 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Oakland.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at Oakland University

#18

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

Green Bay, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #18. Green Bay, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to 52 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UW - Green Bay is $11,641 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

#20

University of Illinois at Springfield

Springfield, Illinois

University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UIS is a small school located in Springfield, Illinois that handed out 32 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UIS is $8,323 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at UIS

University of Wisconsin - Parkside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #21. University of Wisconsin - Parkside is a small public school situated in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It awarded 37 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,018 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UW - Parkside.

Full University of Wisconsin - Parkside Communication & Journalism Report

#22

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, Michigan
Top 25% in overall quality

Grand Valley State University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Allendale, Michigan, this large public school handed out 307 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communication and journalism students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,459 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend GVSU.

The low 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 GVSU Communication & Journalism Report

#22

Indiana University - East

Richmond, Indiana

Indiana University - East landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. IU East is a public institution located in Richmond, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 34 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend IU East is $5,002 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at IU East

#24

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#6 in overall quality

Michigan State University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Michigan State is a large public school situated in East Lansing, Michigan. It awarded 1,068 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k list, Michigan State has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,197 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Michigan State.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low 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 full report on Communication & Journalism at Michigan State University

University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. UIC is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 86 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $11,185 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

Full UIC Communication & Journalism Report

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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.

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