2023 Best Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Illinois
14
Ranked Colleges
705
Degrees Awarded
$50,375
Avg Salary
With all of the options veterans have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Communication & Journalism for a Master’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Communication & Journalism for a Master’s” ranking looked at 14 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 offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the communication and journalism program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Communication & Journalism Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Communication & Journalism for a Master’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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 by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Communication & Journalism for a Master’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree vets studying communication & journalism.
Top 14 Best Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Illinois
Out of the 14 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Communication & Journalism for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 40 masters’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree vets studying communication & journalism list, UIUC has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Among the 52,679 students enrolled at UIUC, 10 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. UIUC does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Communication & Journalism for a Master’s. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 15 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
SIUE also took the #7 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Of the 12,860 students enrolled at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 3 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $23,082. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Full SIUE Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Communication & Journalism for a Master’s list. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 6 degrees to qualified masters’s communication and journalism students in 2020-2021.
SIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Among the 11,366 students enrolled at SIUC, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Read More…
Out of the 14 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Communication & Journalism for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s communication and journalism degrees to 44 students in 2020-2021.
Illinois State also took the #3 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.According to our most recent data, Illinois State University supports 20,720 students, and 530 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 163 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,997. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Illinois State]](/colleges/illinois-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend DePaul University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Communication & Journalism for a Master’s list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 63 diplomas to qualified masters’s communication and journalism students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree vets studying communication & journalism list, DePaul has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 528 of the 21,922 students enrolled at DePaul University were GI Bill® students, of which 367 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $14,957. On top of their other funding sources, 101 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. DePaul University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full DePaul Veteran Student Life Report
Loyola University Chicago ranked #6 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Communication & Journalism for a Master’s list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s communication and journalism degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Loyola Chicago, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Of the 16,893 students enrolled at Loyola Chicago, 261 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 165 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $17,263. During this same period, 78 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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.
Full Loyola Chicago Veteran Student Life Report
Columbia College Chicago landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Communication & Journalism for a Master’s ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 10 diplomas to qualified masters’s communication and journalism students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 140 of the 6,769 students enrolled at Columbia were GI Bill® students, of which 98 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $17,151. On top of their other funding sources, 25 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Columbia offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Read More…
With a ranking of #8, Northwestern University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Communication & Journalism for a Master’s list. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 428 masters’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.According to our most recent data, Northwestern supports 22,603 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $399. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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 97%. The undergraduate 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.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Northwestern]](/colleges/northwestern-university/student-life/veterans/)
Eastern Illinois University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Communication & Journalism for a Master’s list. Charleston, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s communication and journalism degrees to 17 students in 2020-2021.
EIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Among the 8,626 students enrolled at EIU, 184 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 46 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,730. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Read More…
Northern Illinois University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Communication & Journalism for a Master’s ranking. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 14 diplomas to qualified masters’s communication and journalism students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree vets studying communication & journalism list, NIU has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.According to our most recent data, Northern Illinois University supports 16,769 students, and 480 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 207 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,822. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Northern Illinois University]](/colleges/northern-illinois-university/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #11, Western Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Communication & Journalism for a Master’s list. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified masters’s communication and journalism students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree vets studying communication & journalism list, WIU has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Among the 7,490 students enrolled at Western Illinois University, 330 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 62 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,652. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Full WIU Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #12, Governors State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Communication & Journalism for a Master’s list. University Park, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s communication and journalism degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.
GSU also took the #12 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Of the 4,650 students enrolled at GSU, 146 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 80 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,291. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Governors State University]](/colleges/governors-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
Northeastern Illinois University ranked #13 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Communication & Journalism for a Master’s list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 14 diplomas to qualified masters’s communication and journalism students in 2020-2021.
Northeastern Illinois University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Our most recent data shows that 147 of the 7,119 students enrolled at Northeastern Illinois University were GI Bill® students, of which 83 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,460. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Read More…
With a ranking of #14, University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Communication & Journalism for a Master’s list. UIS is a small public school situated in Springfield, Illinois. It awarded 7 masters’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
UIS did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Of the 4,146 students enrolled at University of Illinois at Springfield, 214 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 106 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,253. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UIS Veteran Student Life 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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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.
Credits
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