2023 Best Value Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree School for You
Journalism is the #88 most popular major in Illinois with 332 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
The Best Value Journalism Bachelor's Degree 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 12 schools in Illinois to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best value experiences for journalism students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. 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.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to be the best value school for journalism students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Illinois. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIUC are $17,634 per year. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $194.
UIUC not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Illinois State University is a great value for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Normal.
Illinois State undergraduate students pay an average of $13,968 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Illinois State also made our Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #5.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Eastern Illinois University is a great value for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the town of Charleston, EIU is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at EIU are $12,297 a year. The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at EIU take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $22,314.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Western Illinois University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value journalism schools in Illinois. Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at WIU are $13,297 a year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. NIU is a large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NIU are $14,738 per year. The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at NIU take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $26,604.
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Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree journalism programs. SIUC is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Carbondale.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SIUC are $15,240 a year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, journalism graduates from SIUC carry an average student debtload of $25,613.
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Columbia College Chicago ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the large city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
Columbia undergraduate students pay an average of $27,786 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, journalism graduates from Columbia carry an average student debtload of $25,984. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $424, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Bradley University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the medium-sized city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bradley are $36,360 per year.
Bradley excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list.
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North Central College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree journalism programs. North Central is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Naperville.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at North Central are $42,206 per year.
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Augustana College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree journalism programs. Augustana is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Rock Island.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Augustana are $46,189 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Augustana also did well on our Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Request InformationBest Value Journalism Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
Explore all the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 245 |
| Ohio | 426 |
| Indiana | 274 |
| Wisconsin | 325 |
More Journalism Rankings in Illinois
Journalism Related Majors for Journalism
One of 5 majors within the area of study, journalism has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related to Journalism
| 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 12 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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