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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication Sciences in Illinois

12 Ranked Colleges
394 Degrees Awarded
$17,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Communication Sciences Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Communication Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Communication Sciences is the 48th most popular major in the country with 21,991 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, communication sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $47,716 and had an average of $35,422 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 871 communication sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $48,336 and $41,507 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 394 communication sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Communication Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking analyzed 12 colleges that offered a degree in communication sciences. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent communication sciences 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 sciences program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Communication Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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.

Best Value Communication Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Communication Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois.

Top 12 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication Sciences in Illinois

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Communication Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 80 bachelors’s communication sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree communication sciences students list, UIUC has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Communication Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $15,880 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication sciences students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Communication Sciences Report

#2

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Communication Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communication sciences degrees to 71 students in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also took the #3 spot in our “Best Communication Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State University is $20,895 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication Sciences students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.

Full Illinois State Communication Sciences Report

#3

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Eastern Illinois University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Communication Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. Eastern Illinois University is located in Charleston, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s communication sciences degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at EIU, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Communication Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend EIU is $14,607 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication Sciences students.

Read full report on Communication Sciences at EIU

#10 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Communication Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #4 spot on the list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 35 bachelors’s communication sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree communication sciences students list, SIUE has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Communication Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $14,423 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication sciences students.

Read more about Communication Sciences at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

#5

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Communication Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Governors State University landed the #5 spot on the list. GSU is a small school located in University Park, Illinois that handed out 28 bachelors’s communication sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

GSU also made our “Best Communication Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend Governors State University is $12,077 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication sciences students.

Full Governors State University Communication Sciences Report

#6

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

Western Illinois University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Macomb, Illinois, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s communication sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU also took the #9 spot in our “Best Communication Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $16,210 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication sciences students per year to attend Western Illinois University.

Read more about Communication Sciences at Western Illinois University

#7

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #7. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communication sciences degrees to 34 students in 2019-2020.

NIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Communication Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend NIU is $18,259 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication sciences students.

Full NIU Communication Sciences Report

#7 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Communication Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 17 bachelors’s communication sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Communication Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $16,945 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication Sciences students.

Full SIUC Communication Sciences Report

#9

Trinity Christian College

Palos Heights, Illinois
#12 in overall quality

Trinity Christian College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Trinity Christian College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Palos Heights, Illinois. It awarded 1 bachelors’s communication sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Trinity Christian not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Communication Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Trinity Christian College is $21,904 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication Sciences students.

The impressive 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 low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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 Trinity Christian Communication Sciences Report

#10

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

Saint Xavier University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Saint Xavier University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SXU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Communication Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Saint Xavier University is $14,528 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication sciences students.

Full SXU Communication Sciences Report

#11

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

Elmhurst University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Communication Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Elmhurst, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s communication sciences degrees to 22 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree communication sciences students list, Elmhurst has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Communication Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Elmhurst University is $21,485 for illinois bachelor’s degree communication sciences students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Elmhurst Communication Sciences Report

#12

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

Northwestern University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s communication sciences 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 Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $24,664 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Communication Sciences students.

The impressive 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. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 more about Communication Sciences at Northwestern

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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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Ghozt Tramp.

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