Northwestern vs. Syracuse vs. Northeastern for Journalism

I was accepted to Northwestern, Syracuse, and Northeastern as a journalism major for the class of 2024, and I’m having trouble deciding. I ultimately want to become a either an investigative or political reporter or a documentary/multimedia journalist as my career.

Brief description of each school:
Northwestern - Best journalism program in the country, it has basically everything I’m looking for but it’s my only option where I would have to take out loans (>20k) to go there
Syracuse - Newhouse is a highly respected communications school, but it seems like they have more of a focus on broadcast journalism and film/TV as opposed to political/investigative writing. Syracuse is my cheapest option and I wouldn’t need to take out loans.
Northeastern - Their program seems newer, with more of a focus on data journalism/computer science, and seems “hidden” in the College of Arts, Media, and Design. The co-op program is an undeniable benefit for getting experience. I won’t have to take out loans and I’ll also make money while I’m on co-op.

Basically, I think Northwestern has the best opportunities, but I’m struggling with the question of whether or not attending NU is worth taking out so much money in loans, when I could go to Syracuse or Northeastern for much cheaper and potentially get the same type of job out of college, minus all of the debt.

What is the total annual COA for each school ?

Confused about NU loan amount. Do you mean over $20,000 in loans each year or total for all 4 years ?

I thought Northwestern had adopted a no-loan financial aid policy many years ago & is a meets-full-needs school. Am I correct ?

Northeastern’s journalism school has been around for over 50 years.

My financial aid for Northwestern is just slightly above my family’s budget for next year and probably for the next two years after that, but during my senior year (according to a financial aid advisor at NU) my financial aid will nearly cut in half because I have an older sibling graduating college the year before me. So that’s where the 20k in loans part comes in. The difference between this and the other two schools is that any scholarships/financial aid that I received from Syracuse and Northeastern are guaranteed each year and won’t change based on our financial situation year to year. So the 20k for Northwestern is 20k total, not 20k each year.

All great choices! Good luck deciding.

Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism for an average of $5,000 a year is a tremendous value.

If borrowing $20,000 for a degree from the “best journalism program in the country” seems unduly burdensome to you, then maybe you can convince your sibling to attend college on a 5 year plan.

In all seriousness, I do not see an issue here. Northwestern’s Medill School is the best choice.

P.S. Earning a double or triple major at Northwestern is doable & easy to arrange. Does NU Medill require students to double major ?

The journalism job market is brutal. If you’re gonna do it, I’d shoot for NU.

Medill students have to have a “concentration” outside of Medill, but for 80% of Medill students, that concentration is a double major, minor, or certificate. The quarter system does make it really easy for students to double major.