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Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

43 Colleges
$21,098 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$33,946 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Journalism 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.

The Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 43 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which 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.

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.

2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Journalism Colleges.

Top 10 Best Journalism Schools

Our analysis found University of Wisconsin - Whitewater to be the best value school for journalism students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . UW - Whitewater is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Whitewater.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Whitewater are $16,602 a year. While working on their degree, journalism majors at UW - Whitewater accumulate an average of around $25,873 in student debt.

In addition to its great value ranking, UW - Whitewater is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.

Full Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Report

The excellent programs at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best journalism schools in the Great Lakes Region . UW Oshkosh is a large public school located in the small city of Oshkosh.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW Oshkosh are $15,306 a year.

In addition to its great value ranking, UW Oshkosh is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.

Full Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Report

#3

Ferris State University

Big Rapids, MI
$13,188 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Ferris State University is a great value for journalism students. Ferris is a large public school located in the distant town of Big Rapids.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ferris are $13,188 per year.

Read More…

The excellent programs at University of Wisconsin - River Falls helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best journalism schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the town of River Falls, UW - River Falls is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

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

UW - River Falls excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.

Read full report on Journalism at University of Wisconsin - River Falls

$13,297 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Western Illinois University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WIU are $13,297 per year.

Read full report on Journalism at Western Illinois University

$14,738 Average Tuition & Fees

Northern Illinois University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NIU are $14,738 a year. The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at NIU take out is $25,750.

Read More…

$15,240 Average Tuition & Fees

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. SIUC is a large public school located in the small city of Carbondale.

SIUC undergraduate students pay an average of $15,240 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at SIUC take out is $25,000.

Read full report on Journalism at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#8

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, MI
$13,094 Average Tuition & Fees

Central Michigan University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Central Michigan is a large public school located in the distant town of Mount Pleasant.

Central Michigan undergraduate students pay an average of $13,094 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at Central Michigan take out is $26,603. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $297, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Journalism at Central Michigan University

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the city of Eau Claire, UW - Eau Claire is a public college with a fairly large student population.

UW - Eau Claire undergraduate students pay an average of $17,149 in tuition and fees each year.

UW - Eau Claire also claimed a spot on our Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

#10

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, OH
$9,732 Average Tuition & Fees

Youngstown State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the small city of Youngstown, Youngstown State University is a public college with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Youngstown State University are $9,732 a year.

Read More…

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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