2023 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Finding the Best Communication & Media Studies School for You
In 2020-2021, 66,787 communication and media studies students received a degree or certificate, making the major the #10 most popular in the country.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 114 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges.
Top 15% Best Communication & Media Studies Schools
Our analysis found Northwestern University to be the best school for communication and media studies students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Communications majors at Northwestern take out an average of $18,366 in student loans while working on their egree.
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The excellent programs at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best communication and media studies schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public school with a very large student population.
After completing their degree, communications graduates from U-M carry an average student debtload of $19,000. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $435, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Communications majors at Purdue take out an average of $19,500 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $368, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend DePauw University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the distant town of Greencastle, DePauw is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that communications majors at DePauw take out is $27,000. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $467, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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The excellent programs at Denison University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best communication and media studies schools in the Great Lakes Region . Denison is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small suburb of Granville.
Communications majors at Denison take out an average of $23,187 in student loans while working on their egree.
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best communication and media studies programs. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that communications majors at UIUC take out is $19,176. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $296.
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With a ranking of #7, University of Dayton did quite well on this year’s best schools for communication and media studies students. Located in the medium-sized city of Dayton, UDayton is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
On average, communications graduates from UDayton take out $26,000 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $471.
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With a ranking of #8, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on this year’s best schools for communication and media studies students. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public college with a very large student population.
After completing their degree, communications graduates from UW - Madison carry an average student debtload of $23,250. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $432.
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With a ranking of #9, Wisconsin Lutheran College did quite well on this year’s best schools for communication and media studies students. Located in the large city of Milwaukee, WLC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
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With a ranking of #10, Lake Forest College did quite well on this year’s best schools for communication and media studies students. Located in the suburb of Lake Forest, Lake Forest is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Communications majors at Lake Forest take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Saint Mary’s College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best communication and media studies programs. Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, St. Mary's College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
On average, communications graduates from St. Mary's College take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Michigan State University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best communication and media studies programs. Michigan State is a very large public school located in the small city of East Lansing.
While working on their degree, communications majors at Michigan State accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $444, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best communication and media studies programs. Located in the large city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, communications graduates from Ohio State carry an average student debtload of $24,400. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $286.
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John Carroll University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best communication and media studies programs. Located in the suburb of University Heights, John Carroll is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that communications majors at John Carroll take out is $27,000. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $547, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Saint Norbert College landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best communication and media studies programs. Located in the medium-sized suburb of De Pere, SNC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
While working on their degree, communications majors at SNC accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #16, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse did quite well on this year’s best schools for communication and media studies students. UW - La Crosse is a large public school located in the city of La Crosse.
While working on their degree, communications majors at UW - La Crosse accumulate an average of around $23,125 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $113, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best communication and media studies programs. IU Bloomington is a fairly large public school located in the city of Bloomington.
On average, communications graduates from IU Bloomington take out $23,251 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $534.
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Request InformationAdditional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Hanover College | Hanover, IN |
| 19 | Loyola University Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| 20 | Wheaton College Illinois | Wheaton, IL |
| 21 | Hope College | Holland, MI |
| 22 | Carroll University | Waukesha, WI |
Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges by State
Explore the best communication and media studies colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 1,789 |
| Ohio | 2,149 |
| Illinois | 2,072 |
| Indiana | 1,600 |
| Wisconsin | 1,297 |
More Communication & Media Studies Rankings in the Great Lakes Region
Communication & Media Studies Related Rankings by Major
Communication & Media Studies is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.
Majors Similar to Communications
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Public Relations & Advertising | 21,099 |
| Radio, Television & Digital Communication | 17,669 |
| Journalism | 13,552 |
| Communication & Journalism (Other) | 1,128 |
| Publishing | 336 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 26 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to UNU-WIDER from Helsinki, Finland.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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