2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Illinois
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Communication & Journalism School for You
Communication & Journalism is the #12 most popular major in Illinois with 4,261 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 can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Illinois to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 26 schools in Illinois to see which programs offered the best value experiences for communication and 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 Communication & Journalism Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Illinois State University the best value school in Illinois for communication and journalism students. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the suburb of Normal.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Illinois State are $13,968 a year. After completing their degree, communication and journalism graduates from Illinois State carry an average student debtload of $22,080. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $251.
Illinois State also claimed a spot on our Best Communication & Journalism Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a great value for communication and journalism students. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UIUC are $17,634 a year. Communication & Journalism majors at UIUC take out an average of $19,725 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $306.
UIUC did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Communication & Journalism Schools in Illinois list.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Illinois list. SIUE is a large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SIUE are $11,496 a year. Communication & Journalism majors at SIUE take out an average of $22,203 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $198.
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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 Communication & Journalism Schools in Illinois list. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at WIU are $13,297 a year. The average amount in student loans that communication and journalism majors at WIU take out is $27,016. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $239, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Out of the 26 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Illinois University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the town of Charleston, EIU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
EIU undergraduate students pay an average of $12,297 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Communication & Journalism majors at EIU take out an average of $24,988 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $181.
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Governors State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for communication and journalism students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the rural area of University Park, GSU is a public school with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at GSU are $10,108 per year. After completing their degree, communication and journalism graduates from GSU carry an average student debtload of $25,000.
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Northern Illinois University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value communication and journalism programs. NIU is a large public school located in the small suburb of Dekalb.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at NIU are $14,738 a year. On average, communication and journalism graduates from NIU take out $26,375 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $199.
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University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value communication and journalism programs. UIS is a small public school located in the medium-sized city of Springfield.
UIS undergraduate students pay an average of $12,053 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that communication and journalism majors at UIS take out is $20,875.
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Columbia College Chicago came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the large city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Columbia are $27,786 a year. On average, communication and journalism graduates from Columbia take out $25,611 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $435.
Full Communication & Journalism at Columbia College Chicago Report
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Northeastern Illinois University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Illinois list. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of Chicago.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northeastern Illinois University are $12,064 per year. On average, communication and journalism graduates from Northeastern Illinois University take out $15,237 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Request InformationBest Value Communication & Journalism Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
Explore all the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Indiana | 2,714 |
| Michigan | 3,555 |
| Ohio | 3,901 |
| Wisconsin | 1,988 |
More Communication & Journalism Rankings in Illinois
Majors Related to Communication & Journalism
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 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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 26 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 Josh Hallett.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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