Communication and Journalism colleges in Illinois, ranked by graduates
25 colleges in Illinois awarded at least 10 bachelor's degrees in communication and journalism in 2023: 2,147 degrees, 5.4% of all bachelor's degrees at those colleges (4.3% across every college CollegeCalcAI tracks). University of Illinois graduated the most (454, 5.3% of its class). 9 of the 25 are public universities. The median acceptance rate among them is 76%; the most selective is University of Chicago at 4%.
Communication and Journalism colleges in Illinois
Every Illinois college awarding at least 10 bachelor's degrees in communication and journalism, ranked by 2023 graduates. Click a college for its communication and journalism page.
| # | College | Type | Degrees (2023) | Share of grads | Acceptance rate | SAT 75th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Illinois | Public | 454 | 5.3% | 42% | 1480 |
| 2 | Northwestern University | Private | 310 | 14.4% | 8% | 1560 |
| 3 | Illinois State University | Public | 258 | 5.7% | 88% | 1220 |
| 4 | DePaul University | Private | 236 | 7.7% | 76% | 1280 |
| 5 | Loyola University Chicago | Private | 171 | 6.8% | 82% | 1330 |
| 6 | Eastern Illinois University | Public | 101 | 9.2% | 65% | 1080 |
| 7 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Public | 87 | 4.4% | 98% | 1180 |
| 8 | Northern Illinois University | Public | 74 | 3% | 70% | 1180 |
| 9 | Southern Illinois University | Public | 62 | 3.5% | 87% | 1150 |
| 10 | Western Illinois University | Public | 62 | 5.6% | 71% | 1060 |
| 11 | Bradley University | Private | 61 | 6.7% | 77% | 1260 |
| 12 | Wheaton College (IL) | Private | 34 | 6.6% | 87% | 1230 |
| 13 | Illinois Springfield | Public | 28 | 4.7% | 86% | 1120 |
| 14 | Lake Forest College | Private | 28 | 6.7% | 57% | 1270 |
| 15 | North Central College | Private | 26 | 4.7% | 77% | 1250 |
| 16 | Olivet Nazarene University | Private | 26 | 5% | 56% | 1200 |
| 17 | Saint Xavier University | Private | 22 | 3.3% | 84% | 1120 |
| 18 | Aurora University | Private | 19 | 1.5% | 81% | 1230 |
| 19 | University of Chicago | Private | 16 | 0.8% | 4% | 1570 |
| 20 | Augustana College | Private | 13 | 2.8% | 63% | 1280 |
| 21 | Lewis University | Private | 13 | 1.4% | 71% | 1150 |
| 22 | Concordia University Chicago | Private | 12 | 4.1% | 93% | 1140 |
| 23 | Governors State University | Public | 12 | 2.1% | 48% | 1100 |
| 24 | Benedictine University | Private | 11 | 2.7% | 95% | 1230 |
| 25 | North Park University | Private | 11 | 3% | 69% | 1230 |
Questions about communication and journalism colleges in Illinois
What is the best college for communication and journalism in Illinois?
By bachelor's degrees awarded in 2023, the largest communication and journalism programs in Illinois are University of Illinois (454), Northwestern University (310), Illinois State University (258). "Best" depends on your profile: this page ranks every Illinois college in the field by output and shows each one's acceptance rate and admitted SAT so you can match it to your own numbers.
How many colleges in Illinois offer communication and journalism?
25 four-year colleges in Illinois awarded 10 or more bachelor's degrees in communication and journalism in 2023, 9 public and 16 private, for 2,147 graduates in total.
Is in-state status an advantage for communication and journalism in Illinois?
At the 9 public universities on this list, Illinois residents are usually admitted at a higher rate than out-of-state applicants and pay in-state tuition. CollegeCalcAI applies the residency effect when you set your home state, and the per-major adjustment when you set the major.
Communication and Journalism elsewhere
The same field in other states, and the national ranking.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 Completions (bachelor's degrees, first majors, CIP 2-digit series), joined to CollegeCalcAI's admissions dataset. Built 2026-09-19. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are not predictions or guarantees.