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Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

27 Colleges
$28,389 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$35,207 Avg Salary

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 Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 27 schools in Illinois to see which programs offered the best value experiences for communications students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

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.

2023 Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois

Check out the communications programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools

$27,786 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Columbia College Chicago to be the best value school for communication and media studies students who want to pursue a degree in Illinois. Located in the large city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

Columbia undergraduate students pay an average of $27,786 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Communication & Media Studies at Columbia College Chicago Report

$13,297 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Western Illinois University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best communication and media studies schools in Illinois. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WIU are $13,297 per year. On average, communications graduates from WIU take out $28,032 in student loans while working on their degree.

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$13,968 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois list. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the midsize suburb of Normal.

Illinois State undergraduate students pay an average of $13,968 in in-state tuition and fees each year. 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.

Illinois State also claimed a spot on our Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

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$17,634 Average Tuition & Fees

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 #4 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UIUC are $17,634 a year. 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.

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

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#5

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL
$12,297 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Eastern Illinois University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois list. Located in the town of Charleston, EIU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at EIU are $12,297 a year. Communications majors at EIU take out an average of $25,694 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $181.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Eastern Illinois University

$11,496 Average Tuition & Fees

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois list. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the 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 is $22,203. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $198.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

#7

Governors State University

University Park, IL
$10,108 Average Tuition & Fees

Governors State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for communication and media studies students. It came in at #7 on the 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. On average, communications graduates from GSU take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Communication & Media Studies at Governors State University Report

$14,738 Average Tuition & Fees

Northern Illinois University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois list. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Dekalb.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at NIU are $14,738 a year. 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.

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$12,053 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Illinois at Springfield came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois ranking. UIS is a small public school located in the city of Springfield.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UIS are $12,053 a year. Communications majors at UIS take out an average of $20,875 in student loans while working on their egree.

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$12,064 Average Tuition & Fees

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

Northeastern Illinois University undergraduate students pay an average of $12,064 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, communications graduates from Northeastern Illinois University take out $15,237 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Communication & Media Studies at Northeastern Illinois University Report

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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