2023 Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
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.
Top 10 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Columbia College Chicago the best value school in Illinois for communication and media studies students. Located in the city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Columbia are $27,786 per year.
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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 town of Macomb, WIU is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
WIU undergraduate students pay an average of $13,297 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, communications graduates from WIU take out $28,032 in student loans while working on their degree.
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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 medium-sized suburb of Normal.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Illinois State are $13,968 a 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.
In addition to its great value ranking, Illinois State is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois list.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Illinois State University
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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 #4 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIUC are $17,634 per 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.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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The excellent programs at Eastern Illinois University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best communication and media studies schools in Illinois. Located in the town of Charleston, EIU is a public college 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.
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With a ranking of #6, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on this year’s best value schools for communication and media studies students. SIUE is a 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.
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Governors State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois ranking. 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
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With a ranking of #8, Northern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for communication and media studies students. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.
NIU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,738 in in-state tuition and fees each 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.
Full Communication & Media Studies at Northern Illinois University Report
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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.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIS are $12,053 per year. Communications majors at UIS take out an average of $20,875 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Northeastern Illinois University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois ranking. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-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. On average, communications graduates from Northeastern Illinois University take out $15,237 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Northeastern Illinois University
Request InformationBest 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 |
More Communication & Media Studies Rankings in Illinois
Communication & Media Studies Related Majors for Communications
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.
- 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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