Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Most Popular Journalism Schools in Illinois

Find Schools Near

2023 Most Popular Journalism Schools in Illinois

21 Colleges
$33,522 Avg Salary
$23,595 Avg Student Debt

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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Most Popular Journalism Schools in Illinois to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 21 schools in Illinois to see which programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Journalism program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for journalism majors pursuing a .

#1

DePaul University

Chicago, IL

Our analysis found DePaul University to be the most popular school for journalism students who want to pursue a degree in Illinois. Located in the large city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, journalism graduates from DePaul carry an average student debt load of $24,500. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $448.

Read full report on Journalism at DePaul University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Journalism Schools in Illinois list. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at UIUC take out is $19,500. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $194.

Full Journalism at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Columbia College Chicago is a great place for journalism students. Located in the city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

On average, journalism graduates from Columbia take out $26,000 in student loans while working on their degree. 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…

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Loyola University Chicago. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Journalism Schools in Illinois list. Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, journalism majors at Loyola Chicago accumulate an average of around $25,254 in student debt.

Read full report on Journalism at Loyola University Chicago

The excellent programs at Illinois State University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best journalism schools in Illinois. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the midsize suburb of Normal.

The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at Illinois State take out is $25,000.

Read full report on Journalism at Illinois State University

Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for journalism students. It came in at #6 on the list. SIUC is a large public school located in the city of Carbondale.

The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at SIUC take out is $25,000.

Read More…

With a ranking of #7, Northern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for journalism students. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Dekalb.

While working on their degree, journalism majors at NIU accumulate an average of around $25,750 in student debt.

Read More…

#8

Augustana College

Rock Island, IL

Augustana College ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Journalism Schools in Illinois list. Augustana is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Rock Island.

Read full report on Journalism at Augustana College

#9

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL

Eastern Illinois University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Journalism Schools in Illinois list. Located in the distant town of Charleston, EIU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

While working on their degree, journalism majors at EIU accumulate an average of around $25,850 in student debt.

Read More…

#10

Bradley University

Peoria, IL

Bradley University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for journalism students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

Full Journalism at Bradley University Report

Best Journalism Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Most Popular 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

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 21 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.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.