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Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois

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2023 Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois

46 Colleges
$35,207 Avg Salary
$24,284 Avg Student Debt

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 Most Popular 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 46 schools in Illinois to see which ones were the most popular 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.

Check out the communications programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in Illinois.

Our 2023 rankings named University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign the most popular school in Illinois for communication and media studies students. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, communications graduates from UIUC carry an average student debt load of $19,176. 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

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Illinois State University is a great place for communication and media studies students. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal.

While working on their degree, communications majors at Illinois State accumulate an average of around $19,500 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $242, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

#3

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Northwestern University is a great place for communication and media studies students. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that communications majors at Northwestern take out is $18,366.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Northwestern University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois list. NIU is a large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.

While working on their degree, communications majors at NIU accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. 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

#5

DePaul University

Chicago, IL

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means DePaul University is a great place for communication and media studies students. Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, communications graduates from DePaul carry an average student debt load of $22,500. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $389, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular communication and media studies programs. UIC is a very large public school located in the large city of Chicago.

Communications majors at UIC take out an average of $18,122 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $274.

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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular communication and media studies programs. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville.

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 More…

Northeastern Illinois University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois ranking. Northeastern Illinois University is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of Chicago.

After completing their degree, communications graduates from Northeastern Illinois University carry an average student debt load of $15,237.

Full Communication & Media Studies at Northeastern Illinois University Report

Western Illinois University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

After completing their degree, communications graduates from WIU carry an average student debt load of $28,032.

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

#10

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL

Eastern Illinois University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the distant town of Charleston, EIU is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that communications majors at EIU take out is $25,694. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $181.

Full Communication & Media Studies at Eastern Illinois University Report

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.

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