2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2019-2020, 10,951 people earned their degree in communication and media studies, making the major the 74th most popular in the United States.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 9,341 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 186 colleges that offer a degree in communication and media studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great communication and media studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the communication and media studies program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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The media studies school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k”.
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Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $0-$30k)
Out of the 186 schools in the Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #1 spot on the list. Chapel Hill, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s media studies degrees to 418 students in 2019-2020.
UNC Chapel Hill also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $4,026 for bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UNC Chapel Hill.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 186 schools in the Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #2 spot on the list. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 38 bachelors’s media studies degrees to qualified students.
UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $5,477 for bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UIUC.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s media studies degrees to 284 students in 2019-2020.
UC Berkeley also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $8,392 for bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read more about Communication & Media Studies at University of California - Berkeley
Out of the 186 schools in the Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Hunter College landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 166 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Hunter is $320 for bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 4.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Bloomington. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 470 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.
IU Bloomington also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for IU Bloomington is $4,969 for Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low student loan default rate of 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full Indiana University - Bloomington Communication & Media Studies Report
Florida International University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Miami, Florida, and it awarded 245 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.
FIU also claimed a top spot on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Florida International University is $5,002 for bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #7, Michigan State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Michigan State University is a large school located in East Lansing, Michigan that handed out 262 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Michigan State also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend Michigan State University is $6,686 for bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Michigan State
University of South Florida - Main Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. USF Tampa is a large public school situated in Tampa, Florida. It awarded 182 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, USF Tampa is also in the top of our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. It costs about $3,950 for Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of South Florida - Main Campus.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 4.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
With a ranking of #9, Queens College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Queens College is located in Queens, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 110 bachelors’s media studies degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for QC is $1,255 for Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a large public school situated in Edinburg, Texas. It awarded 86 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $2,993 for bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Communication & Media Studies at UT Rio Grande Valley
With a ranking of #11, Lehman College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Bronx, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s media studies degrees to 63 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Lehman is $234 for Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Lehman College
With a ranking of #12, Pitzer College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s media studies degrees to 19 students in 2019-2020.
Pitzer did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $15,922 for bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Pitzer College.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Towson University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Towson University is a large public school situated in Towson, Maryland. It awarded 211 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Towson also took the #14 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,206 for Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Towson.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Berea College landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Berea, Kentucky, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 24 degrees to qualified bachelors’s media studies students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $5,296 for bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Berea College.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low student loan default rate of 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
With a ranking of #15, The University of West Florida did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. The University of West Florida is a fairly large public school situated in Pensacola, Florida. It awarded 104 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $4,140 for Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UWF.
Full The University of West Florida Communication & Media Studies Report
With a ranking of #16, Florida State College at Jacksonville did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Jacksonville, Florida, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $2,126 for Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Florida State College at Jacksonville.
Brigham Young University - Provo ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Provo, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s media studies degrees to 71 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at BYU, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for BYU is $8,834 for Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #18, Trinity University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Trinity U is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Antonio, Texas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 40 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Trinity U also took the #12 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Trinity University is $12,373 for bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Trinity University
University of Nevada - Las Vegas ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Nevada - Las Vegas is located in Las Vegas, Nevada and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 124 bachelors’s media studies degrees to qualified students.
UNLV excels when it comes to media studies quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UNLV is $9,378 for bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Washington State University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Washington State University is a large public school situated in Pullman, Washington. It awarded 6 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $9,334 for bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Washington State University.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #21, University of North Carolina at Greensboro did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Greensboro, North Carolina, this fairly large public school handed out 85 degrees to qualified bachelors’s media studies students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $8,853 for Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UNC Greensboro.
With a ranking of #22, Texas Tech University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Texas Tech is a large public school situated in Lubbock, Texas. It awarded 77 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Texas Tech University is $12,317 for Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 77 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $8,055 for bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SIUE.
Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
California State University - San Marcos ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSUSM is a fairly large school located in San Marcos, California that handed out 43 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for CSUSM is $9,517 for Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Maryland - Baltimore County ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Baltimore, Maryland, and it awarded 68 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Maryland - Baltimore County is $10,820 for bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Rest of the Best 28 in Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k
Not only did these schools make the top 28 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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Notes and References
References
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
Footnotes
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
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