South Elgin, Illinois has 18 accredited schools offering journalism programs, with tuition ranging from $13,248 to $68,322 per year for indexed programs. South Elgin has a population of about 24,921. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, the top-earning journalism-related role is Editor at a median $80,380 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Journalism Schools to South Elgin
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer journalism programs near South Elgin, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from South Elgin city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from South Elgin.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$60,123
Avg net price
$21,044/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 79%
- Programs offered: 35
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$61,462
Avg net price
$24,185/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 78%
- Programs offered: 44
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$57,808
Avg net price
$13,391/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 70%
- Programs offered: 42
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$60,327
Avg net price
$11,745/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 79%
- Programs offered: 30
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
71%
Graduation rate
65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$66,099
Avg net price
$17,028/yr
TuitionIn‑state$39,200
Out‑of‑state$39,200
Key stats- Retention rate: 81%
- Programs offered: 59
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
71%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$71,530
Avg net price
$36,079/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 83%
- Programs offered: 79
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$68,751
Avg net price
$30,902/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 86%
- Programs offered: 84
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$42,195
Avg net price
$26,598/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 65%
- Programs offered: 24
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Illinois schools on the Illinois journalism page.
Journalism Wages Near South Elgin
South Elgin is part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (BLS area code 16980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Illinois statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| News Analyst, Reporter, and Journalist | $70,350 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $67,905 |
| Editor | $80,380 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $77,587 |
| Public Relations Specialist | $77,050 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $74,373 |
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
South Elgin at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 103.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other South Elgin-Area Cities With Journalism Programs
- Elgin, IL – 3.4 mi away (112,123 pop)
- Saint Charles, IL – 4.9 mi away (32,717 pop)
- Bartlett, IL – 5.5 mi away (41,178 pop)
- Streamwood, IL – 7.3 mi away (40,166 pop)
- Geneva, IL – 7.4 mi away (21,880 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited journalism schools are near South Elgin, IL?
Our directory has 18 accredited schools offering journalism programs near South Elgin. The closest is North Central College in Naperville, IL (17.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is DePaul University (36.1 miles). 10 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying journalism roles near South Elgin?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying journalism-related roles near South Elgin are: Editor ($80,380), Public Relations Specialist ($77,050), News Analyst, Reporter, and Journalist ($70,350). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Illinois statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Elgin instead of South Elgin?
Elgin, IL is 3.4 miles from South Elgin and has its own set of local journalism programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Learn More About Journalism Programs
Other Programs Available in South Elgin
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for South Elgin:
- Public Relations programs in South Elgin, IL
- Communication Disorders programs in South Elgin, IL
- Speech Pathology programs in South Elgin, IL
- Technical Communication programs in South Elgin, IL
- Professional Writing programs in South Elgin, IL
- Strategic Communications programs in South Elgin, IL
- Business Development programs in South Elgin, IL
- Construction Management programs in South Elgin, IL
- Economics programs in South Elgin, IL
- Financial Technology programs in South Elgin, IL
- Forensic Accounting programs in South Elgin, IL
- Health Information Management programs in South Elgin, IL
- Hospitality Management programs in South Elgin, IL
- International Business programs in South Elgin, IL
- Organizational Leadership programs in South Elgin, IL
- Management Information Systems programs in South Elgin, IL
- Nonprofit Management programs in South Elgin, IL
- Operations Management programs in South Elgin, IL
- Public Administration programs in South Elgin, IL
- Real Estate programs in South Elgin, IL
- Recreation Management programs in South Elgin, IL
- Retail Management programs in South Elgin, IL
- Risk Management programs in South Elgin, IL
- Statistics programs in South Elgin, IL
- Taxation programs in South Elgin, IL
- Corrections programs in South Elgin, IL
- Crime Analysis programs in South Elgin, IL
- Criminal Justice Administration programs in South Elgin, IL
- Criminology programs in South Elgin, IL
- Cybercrime programs in South Elgin, IL
- Emergency Management programs in South Elgin, IL
- Fire Science programs in South Elgin, IL
- Forensic Science programs in South Elgin, IL
- Legal Services programs in South Elgin, IL
- Legal Studies programs in South Elgin, IL
- Paralegal programs in South Elgin, IL
- Security Management programs in South Elgin, IL
- Cloud Computing programs in South Elgin, IL
- Computer Engineering programs in South Elgin, IL
- Innovation programs in South Elgin, IL
- Mobile App Development programs in South Elgin, IL
- Software Development programs in South Elgin, IL
- User Experience programs in South Elgin, IL
- Web Development programs in South Elgin, IL
- Artificial Intelligence programs in South Elgin, IL
- Machine Learning programs in South Elgin, IL
- Supply Chain Management programs in South Elgin, IL
- Data Analytics programs in South Elgin, IL
- Public Health programs in South Elgin, IL
- Human Resources programs in South Elgin, IL
- Project Management programs in South Elgin, IL
- Special Education programs in South Elgin, IL
- Homeland Security programs in South Elgin, IL
- Marketing programs in South Elgin, IL
- Finance programs in South Elgin, IL
- Kinesiology programs in South Elgin, IL
- Sports Management programs in South Elgin, IL
- Early Childhood Education programs in South Elgin, IL
- Elementary Education programs in South Elgin, IL
- Biology programs in South Elgin, IL
- Communications programs in South Elgin, IL
- Graphic Design programs in South Elgin, IL
- Human Services programs in South Elgin, IL
- MBA programs in South Elgin, IL
- Criminal Justice programs in South Elgin, IL
- Nursing programs in South Elgin, IL
- Business Administration programs in South Elgin, IL
- Computer Science programs in South Elgin, IL
- Psychology programs in South Elgin, IL
- Education programs in South Elgin, IL
- Engineering programs in South Elgin, IL
- Technology programs in South Elgin, IL
- Liberal Arts programs in South Elgin, IL
- Healthcare programs in South Elgin, IL
- Cybersecurity programs in South Elgin, IL
- Accounting programs in South Elgin, IL
- Healthcare Administration programs in South Elgin, IL
- Social Work programs in South Elgin, IL
- Counseling programs in South Elgin, IL
Data verified: August 11, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
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