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Best Communication & Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region

2023 Best Communication & Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region

129 Colleges
$34,371 Avg Salary
$25,050 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Communication & Journalism School for You

Communication & Journalism is the #11 most popular major in the country with 120,571 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. 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 Communication & 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. This report analyzed 129 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Communication & Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for communication and journalism majors pursuing a .

Top 15% Best Communication & Journalism Schools

Our 2023 rankings named University of Michigan - Ann Arbor the best school in the Great Lakes Region for communication and journalism students. Located in the city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public college with a very large student population.

While working on their degree, communication and journalism majors at U-M accumulate an average of around $19,000 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $435, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#2

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Communication & Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, communication and journalism graduates from Northwestern carry an average student debtload of $16,622. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $842.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Communication & Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public college with a very large student population.

On average, communication and journalism graduates from UW - Madison take out $22,375 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $432.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Communication & Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that communication and journalism majors at UIUC take out is $19,725. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $306, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#5

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Purdue University - Main Campus. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Communication & Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that communication and journalism majors at Purdue take out is $19,500. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $368, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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With a ranking of #6, The Ohio Media School-Columbus did quite well on this year’s best schools for communication and journalism students. Located in the large suburb of Columbus, The Ohio Media School-Columbus is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

While working on their degree, communication and journalism majors at The Ohio Media School-Columbus accumulate an average of around $11,892 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $118, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#7

Ohio Media School-Valley View

Valley View, OH

Ohio Media School-Valley View ranked #7 on this year’s Best Communication & Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large suburb of Valley View, Ohio Media School-Valley View is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

On average, communication and journalism graduates from Ohio Media School-Valley View take out $11,892 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $118, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#8

DePauw University

Greencastle, IN

With a ranking of #8, DePauw University did quite well on this year’s best schools for communication and journalism students. Located in the distant town of Greencastle, DePauw is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Communication & Journalism majors at DePauw take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $467, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#9

Denison University

Granville, OH

Denison University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for communication and journalism students. It came in at #9 on the list. Denison is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Granville.

Communication & Journalism majors at Denison take out an average of $23,187 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#10

University of Dayton

Dayton, OH

With a ranking of #10, University of Dayton did quite well on this year’s best schools for communication and journalism students. Located in the city of Dayton, UDayton is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, communication and journalism majors at UDayton accumulate an average of around $26,000 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $471.

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#11

Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI

Marquette University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Communication & Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Marquette is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Milwaukee.

Communication & Journalism majors at Marquette take out an average of $25,375 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $593.

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#12

Wisconsin Lutheran College

Milwaukee, WI

Wisconsin Lutheran College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Communication & Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the city of Milwaukee, WLC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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

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#13

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, IL

Lake Forest College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Communication & Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large suburb of Lake Forest, Lake Forest is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

On average, communication and journalism graduates from Lake Forest take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

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Miami University - Oxford landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best communication and journalism programs. Located in the town of Oxford, Miami University - Oxford is a public school with a large student population.

The average amount in student loans that communication and journalism majors at Miami University - Oxford take out is $24,472. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $467, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#15

Saint Mary's College

Notre Dame, IN

Saint Mary’s College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for communication and journalism students. It came in at #15 on the list. Located in the suburb of Notre Dame, St. Mary's College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

After completing their degree, communication and journalism graduates from St. Mary's College carry an average student debtload of $27,000.

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#16

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI

Michigan State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for communication and journalism students. It came in at #16 on the list. Michigan State is a fairly large public school located in the small city of East Lansing.

The average amount in student loans that communication and journalism majors at Michigan State take out is $26,374. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $454, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Illinois Media School-Chicago Campus ranked #17 on this year’s Best Communication & Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Illinois Media School-Chicago Campus is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

While working on their degree, communication and journalism majors at Illinois Media School-Chicago Campus accumulate an average of around $12,667 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $105, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#18

Illinois Media School

Lombard, IL

With a ranking of #18, Illinois Media School did quite well on this year’s best schools for communication and journalism students. Illinois Media School is a small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Lombard.

On average, communication and journalism graduates from Illinois Media School take out $12,667 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $105, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#19

Franklin University

Columbus, OH

With a ranking of #19, Franklin University did quite well on this year’s best schools for communication and journalism students. Franklin University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Columbus.

Communication & Journalism majors at Franklin University take out an average of $40,666 in student loans while working on their egree.

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Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Communication & Journalism students in the Great Lakes Region that almost earned our Best Communication & Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
20 Northwood University Midland, MI
21 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN
22 Saint Norbert College De Pere, WI
23 John Carroll University University Heights, OH
24 University of Wisconsin - La Crosse La Crosse, WI
25 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH

Best Communication & Journalism Colleges by State

Explore the best communication and journalism colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Indiana 2,714
Michigan 3,555
Ohio 3,901
Illinois 4,261
Wisconsin 1,988

Communication & Journalism Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies 66,787
Public Relations & Advertising 21,099
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 17,669
Journalism 13,552
Communication & Journalism (Other) 1,128
Publishing 336

Related Major Annual Graduates
Education 327,871
Social Sciences 205,984
Psychology 195,678
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences 55,820
History 32,731

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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 Josh Hallett.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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