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Best Value Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Value Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

12 Colleges
$27,461 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$31,564 Avg Salary

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.

2023 Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois

Check out the journalism bachelor's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

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 very 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 did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list.

Read full report on Journalism at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the midsize suburb of Normal.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Illinois State are $13,968 a year.

Illinois State also made our Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #5.

Full Journalism at Illinois State University Report

#3

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL

Out of the 12 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Illinois University landed the # 3 spot on the list. 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.

Read full report on Journalism at Eastern Illinois University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Western Illinois University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. 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 in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Dekalb.

NIU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,738 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at NIU take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $26,604.

Full Journalism at Northern Illinois University Report

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. SIUC is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Carbondale.

SIUC undergraduate students pay an average of $15,240 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, journalism graduates from SIUC carry an average student debtload of $25,613.

Read full report on Journalism at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

With a ranking of #7, Columbia College Chicago did quite well on this year’s best value schools for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Columbia are $27,786 per 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.

Read More…

#8

Bradley University

Peoria, IL

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 college with a moderately-sized student population.

Bradley undergraduate students pay an average of $36,360 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Bradley also is in the top 20% of our Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking.

Full Journalism at Bradley University Report

#9

North Central College

Naperville, IL

North Central College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. North Central is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Naperville.

North Central undergraduate students pay an average of $42,206 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Journalism at North Central College

#10

Augustana College

Rock Island, IL

Augustana College 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 #10 on the list. Augustana is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Rock Island.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Augustana are $46,189 a year.

Augustana also claimed a spot on our Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on Journalism at Augustana College

Best 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

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 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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