Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

Find Schools Near

2023 Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

44 Colleges
$32,706 Avg Salary
$25,824 Avg Student Debt

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.

The Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 44 schools in Illinois to see which ones were the most popular bachelor's degree programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Communication & Media Studies program at each school on the list.

The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Colleges.

Our 2023 rankings named University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign the most popular school in Illinois for communication and media studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Of the 308 students majoring in communications at UIUC, 37% are male and 63% are female.

The average amount in student loans that communications majors at UIUC take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $18,713. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $296, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Out of the 44 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the midsize suburb of Normal.

Of the 182 students majoring in communications at Illinois State, 47% are male and 53% are female.

The average amount in student loans that communications majors at Illinois State take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $19,641. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $242, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

The in-demand bachelor’s degree programs at Northern Illinois University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular communication and media studies schools in Illinois. NIU is a large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.

Of the 160 students majoring in communications at NIU, 58% are male and 42% are female.

Communications majors at NIU take out an average of $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.

Full Communication & Media Studies at Northern Illinois University Report

#4

DePaul University

Chicago, IL

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend DePaul University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

About 69% of the students majoring in communications at the school are women while 31% are male.

On average, communications graduates from DePaul take out $22,655 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $389, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at DePaul University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. UIC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Chicago.

Women make up 59% of the communications majors at the school.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, communications majors at UIC accumulate an average of around $19,365 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $274.

Full Communication & Media Studies at University of Illinois at Chicago Report

#6

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Northwestern University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree communication and media studies programs. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 65% of the communications majors at the school.

On average, communications graduates from Northwestern take out $19,125 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Read More…

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for communication and media studies students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville.

Of the 101 students majoring in communications at SIUE, 41% are male and 59% are female.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, communications majors at SIUE accumulate an average of around $24,274 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $198.

Read More…

Western Illinois University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Women make up 66% of the communications majors at the school.

Read More…

Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for communication and media studies students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Northeastern Illinois University is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of Chicago.

Women make up 58% of the communications majors at the school.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, communications majors at Northeastern Illinois University accumulate an average of around $19,796 in student debt.

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

#10

Augustana College

Rock Island, IL

Augustana College ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Augustana is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Rock Island.

Of the 43 students majoring in communications at Augustana, 35% are male and 65% are female.

Read More…

Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Most Popular 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.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.