by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in Illinois” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Communication & Journalism is the 11th most popular major in the country with 120,571 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, communication and journalism graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $34,266 and had an average of $24,758 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 4,546 communication and journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,627 and $23,670 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 3,467 communication and journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,117 and $25,584 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in Illinois” ranking looked at 49 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in communication and journalism. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in communication and journalism.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 Communication & Journalism Major in Illinois” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Columbia College Chicago. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in Illinois list. Columbia is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 148 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Columbia College Chicago
Out of the 49 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Principia College landed the #2 spot on the list. Principia College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Elsah, Illinois. It awarded 8 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Augustana College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in Illinois list. Located in Rock Island, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 57 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communication and journalism students 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at Augustana College
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend DePaul University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in Illinois. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 392 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Bradley University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in Illinois. Located in Peoria, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 93 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communication and journalism students in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Illinois State University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in Illinois ranking. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 300 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees 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%.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Illinois State University
Monmouth College landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in Illinois ranking. Monmouth College is located in Monmouth, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Western Illinois University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in Illinois ranking. Macomb, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to 107 students in 2020-2021.
Full Western Illinois University Communication & Journalism Report
Eureka College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in Illinois ranking. Eureka College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Eureka, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at Eureka College
With a ranking of #10, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in Illinois list. Eastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Charleston, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 89 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Trinity Christian College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #11. This small school is located in Palos Heights, Illinois, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at Trinity Christian
Loyola University Chicago landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in Illinois ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to 228 students in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at Loyola University Chicago
With a ranking of #13, Northwestern University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in Illinois list. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 374 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%.
Full Northwestern University Communication & Journalism Report
Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. NIU is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 177 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Northern Illinois University
With a ranking of #15, Olivet Nazarene University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in Illinois list. Olivet Nazarene University is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 52 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.
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 more about Communication & Journalism at Olivet Nazarene University
With a ranking of #16, Blackburn College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in Carlinville, Illinois, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in Illinois list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 579 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Lake Forest College landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in Illinois ranking. Lake Forest is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lake Forest, Illinois. It awarded 17 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%.
North Central College ranked #19 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in Illinois list. Located in Naperville, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 31 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communication and journalism students 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 Communication & Journalism at North Central
Chicago State University landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in Illinois ranking. Chicago State University is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
University of Illinois at Springfield ranked #21 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in Illinois list. University of Illinois at Springfield is a public institution located in Springfield, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s 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%.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at University of Illinois at Springfield
With a ranking of #22, Wheaton College Illinois did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in Illinois list. Wheaton College Illinois is a small school located in Wheaton, Illinois that handed out 29 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at Wheaton College Illinois
Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in Illinois ranking. SIUC is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 113 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
With a ranking of #24, North Park University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in Illinois list. North Park is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 23 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at North Park University
Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #25. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 59 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communication and journalism students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Northeastern Illinois University
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
