2023 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois
Finding the Best Communication & Media Studies School for You
In 2020-2021, 2,072 degrees and certificates were awarded to communication and media studies students who went to a Illinois college or university. This makes it the #15 most popular major in the state.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
The Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 27 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois
The colleges and universities below are the best for communications majors pursuing a .
Top 10 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Northwestern University the best school in Illinois for communication and media studies students. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, communications graduates from Northwestern carry an average student debtload of $18,366.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois list. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Communications majors at UIUC take out an average of $19,176 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $296, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Lake Forest College is a great place 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.
After completing their degree, communications graduates from Lake Forest carry an average student debtload of $27,000.
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Out of the 27 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Loyola University Chicago landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
Communications majors at Loyola Chicago take out an average of $18,875 in student loans while working on their egree.
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The excellent programs at Wheaton College Illinois helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best communication and media studies schools in Illinois. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Wheaton.
The average amount in student loans that communications majors at Wheaton College Illinois take out is $21,500.
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Western Illinois University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois list. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
On average, communications graduates from WIU take out $28,032 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Illinois State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best communication and media studies programs. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal.
On average, communications graduates from Illinois State take out $19,500 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $242, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Augustana College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for communication and media studies students. It came in at #8 on the list. Augustana is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Rock Island.
Communications majors at Augustana take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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North Central College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best communication and media studies programs. North Central is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Naperville.
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Northern Illinois University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois list. NIU is a large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.
After completing their degree, communications graduates from NIU carry an average student debtload of $27,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $199.
Full Communication & Media Studies at Northern Illinois University Report
Request InformationBest Communication & Media Studies Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
Explore all the Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 1,789 |
| Ohio | 2,149 |
| Indiana | 1,600 |
| Wisconsin | 1,297 |
More Communication & Media Studies Rankings in Illinois
Communication & Media Studies Related Rankings by Major
Communication & Media Studies is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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 25 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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