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Best Value Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

2023 Best Value Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

41 Colleges
$22,089 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$31,564 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree School for You

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, journalism was ranked #70 in the country. In fact 13,552 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This report analyzed 41 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best value bachelor's degree programs for journalism students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.

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

Top 10 Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named University of Wisconsin - Whitewater the best value school in the Great Lakes Region for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. UW - Whitewater is a fairly large public school located in the town of Whitewater.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - Whitewater are $16,602 per year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, journalism graduates from UW - Whitewater carry an average student debtload of $23,132.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - Whitewater also is in the top 20% of our Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.

Full Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Report

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Out of the 41 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh landed the # 2 spot on the list. UW Oshkosh is a large public school located in the small city of Oshkosh.

UW Oshkosh undergraduate students pay an average of $15,306 in tuition and fees each year.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the town of River Falls, UW - River Falls is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

UW - River Falls undergraduate students pay an average of $15,661 in tuition and fees each year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - River Falls also is in the top 10% of our Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Western Illinois University is a great value for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

WIU undergraduate students pay an average of $13,297 in tuition and fees each year.

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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Northern Illinois University is a great value for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Dekalb.

NIU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,738 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, journalism graduates from NIU carry an average student debtload of $26,604.

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Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for journalism students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. SIUC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Carbondale.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SIUC are $15,240 per year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, journalism majors at SIUC accumulate an average of around $25,613 in student debt.

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#7

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, MI

Central Michigan University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Central Michigan is a large public school located in the town of Mount Pleasant.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Central Michigan are $13,094 per year. Journalism majors at Central Michigan take out an average of $25,477 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $297, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small city of Eau Claire, UW - Eau Claire is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Eau Claire are $17,149 a year.

In addition to its great value ranking, UW - Eau Claire is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.

Full Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Report

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#9

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, OH

Youngstown State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the city of Youngstown, Youngstown State University is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Youngstown State University undergraduate students pay an average of $9,732 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, journalism majors at Youngstown State University accumulate an average of around $25,164 in student debt.

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#10

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL

With a ranking of #10, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the town of Charleston, EIU is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

EIU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,551 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, journalism graduates from EIU carry an average student debtload of $22,314.

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Best Journalism Colleges by State

Explore the best journalism schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 245
Ohio 426
Illinois 332
Indiana 274
Wisconsin 325

One of 5 majors within the area of study, journalism has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies 66,787
Public Relations & Advertising 21,099
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 17,669
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 Jfurrer.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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