by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 10 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for journalism students pursuing a bachelor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 258 bachelor's degrees in journalism during the 2022-2023 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of journalism for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality journalism program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for journalism students working on their bachelor's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for journalism students seeking a a bachelor's degree.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in journalism. UIUC is a very large public university located in the city of Champaign.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the journalism program state that they receive average early career earnings of $36,303.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
DePaul University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in journalism. DePaul is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the journalism program state that they receive average early career earnings of $37,388.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from DePaul University
It's hard to beat Augustana College if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in journalism. Located in the city of Rock Island, Augustana is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from Augustana College
Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in journalism needs to look into Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Located in the town of Carbondale, SIUC is a public university with a large student population.
Journalism bachelor's degree recipients from Southern Illinois University Carbondale earn a boost of approximately $2,730 above the average income of journalism graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Columbia is a medium-sized private not-for-profit college located in the large city of Chicago.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the journalism program earn an average of $31,369 for their early career.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from Columbia College Chicago
Illinois State is a very large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal.
Soon after graduating, journalism bachelor's recipients typically earn around $36,643 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from Illinois State University
Loyola Chicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.
After graduating, journalism bachelor's recipients usually earn around $38,302 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from Loyola University Chicago
North Central is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Naperville.More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from North Central College
Located in the small suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public university with a fairly large student population.
After graduating, journalism bachelor's recipients typically make about $31,753 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from Northern Illinois University
Located in the town of Charleston, EIU is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from Eastern Illinois University
Explore all the Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
Journalism is one of 5 different types of Communication & Journalism programs to choose from.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Journalism | 252 |
| Photojournalism | 5 |
| Other Journalism | 1 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Communication & Media Studies | 1,510 |
| Public Relations & Advertising | 673 |
| Radio, Television & Digital Communication | 430 |
| Communication & Journalism (Other) | 28 |
