2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
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.
Top 10 Best Journalism Schools
Our 2023 rankings named University of Wisconsin - Whitewater the best value school in the Great Lakes Region for journalism students. UW - Whitewater is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Whitewater.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - Whitewater are $16,602 per year. While working on their degree, journalism majors at UW - Whitewater accumulate an average of around $25,873 in student debt.
UW - Whitewater excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked 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
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is a great value for journalism students. UW Oshkosh is a large public school located in the city of Oshkosh.
UW Oshkosh undergraduate students pay an average of $15,306 in tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW Oshkosh also is in the top 20% of our Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
Full Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Report
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Ferris State University is a great value for journalism students. Ferris is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Big Rapids.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Ferris are $13,188 a year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the town of River Falls, UW - River Falls is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - River Falls are $15,661 a year.
UW - River Falls 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.
Full Journalism at University of Wisconsin - River Falls Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Illinois University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at WIU are $13,297 a year.
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Northern Illinois University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.
Out-of-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 is $25,750.
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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.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SIUC are $15,240 per year. The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at SIUC take out is $25,000.
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Central Michigan University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value journalism programs. Central Michigan is a large public school located in the 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.
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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 small city of Eau Claire, UW - Eau Claire is a public school with a fairly large student population.
UW - Eau Claire undergraduate students pay an average of $17,149 in tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UW - Eau Claire also did well on our Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full report on Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
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Youngstown State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small 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.
Full Journalism at Youngstown State University Report
Request InformationBest 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 |
More Journalism Rankings in the Great Lakes Region
Journalism Related Majors for Journalism
One of 5 majors within the area of study, journalism has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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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