2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Journalism 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.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 13 schools in Illinois 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.
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 Schools
Our analysis found University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to be the best value school for journalism students who want to pursue a degree in Illinois. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UIUC are $17,634 a year. After completing their degree, journalism graduates from UIUC carry an average student debtload of $19,500. 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 Schools in Illinois list.
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The excellent programs at Illinois State University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best journalism schools in Illinois. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal.
Illinois State undergraduate students pay an average of $13,968 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, journalism majors at Illinois State accumulate an average of around $25,000 in student debt.
In addition to its great value ranking, Illinois State is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Journalism Schools in Illinois list.
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Out of the 13 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 college with a medium-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at EIU are $12,297 per year. While working on their degree, journalism majors at EIU accumulate an average of around $25,850 in student debt.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois list. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WIU are $13,297 per year.
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The excellent programs at Northern Illinois University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best journalism schools in Illinois. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Dekalb.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NIU are $14,738 per year. On average, journalism graduates from NIU take out $25,750 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for journalism students. It came in at #6 on the 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. On average, journalism graduates from SIUC take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value journalism programs. UIS is a small public school located in the midsize city of Springfield.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIS are $12,053 per year.
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Columbia College Chicago landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value journalism programs. Located in the large city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Columbia are $27,786 a year. The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at Columbia take out is $26,000. 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 #9 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in Illinois list. Located in the midsize city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Bradley are $36,360 a year.
Bradley also claimed a spot on our Best Journalism Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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North Central College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for journalism students. It came in at #10 on the list. 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.
Request InformationBest Value Journalism Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
Explore all the Best Value Journalism Colleges 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 13 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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