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Best Value Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

2023 Best Value Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

27 Colleges
$28,389 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$32,706 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 27 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best value bachelor's degree programs for communications students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

Top 10 Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools

Our analysis found Western Illinois University to be the best value school for communication and media studies students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Illinois. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WIU are $13,297 per year.

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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Illinois State University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value communication and media studies schools in Illinois. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the suburb of Normal.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Illinois State are $13,968 per year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, communications majors at Illinois State accumulate an average of around $19,641 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $242, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Illinois State not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #5 on our Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list.

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Out of the 27 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a very large student population.

UIUC undergraduate students pay an average of $17,634 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Communications majors at UIUC take out an average of $18,713 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $296, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

UIUC not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list.

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a great value for communication and media studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. SIUE is a large public school located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SIUE are $11,496 a year. The average amount in student loans that communications majors at SIUE take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $24,274. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $198.

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#5

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern Illinois University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the town of Charleston, EIU is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

EIU undergraduate students pay an average of $12,297 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Communications majors at EIU take out an average of $23,210 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $181.

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#6

Governors State University

University Park, IL

Governors State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the rural area of University Park, GSU is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at GSU are $10,108 a year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, communications graduates from GSU carry an average student debtload of $26,030.

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University of Illinois at Springfield came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. UIS is a small public school located in the midsize city of Springfield.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIS are $12,053 per year. The average amount in student loans that communications majors at UIS take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $22,434.

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Northern Illinois University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. NIU is a large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NIU are $14,738 per year. On average, communications graduates from NIU take out $27,694 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $199.

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University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree communication and media studies programs. UIC is a very large public school located in the large city of Chicago.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIC are $15,603 per year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, communications graduates from UIC carry an average student debtload of $19,365. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $274.

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With a ranking of #10, Northeastern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for communication and media studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Northeastern Illinois University is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Chicago.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northeastern Illinois University are $12,064 per year. Communications majors at Northeastern Illinois University take out an average of $19,796 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

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Best Value Communication & Media Studies Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Value 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

Communication & Media Studies is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.

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.

  • 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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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