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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communications (Income $30-$48k)

186 Ranked Colleges
10,632 Degrees Awarded
$8,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $30-$48k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Communications is the 65th most popular major in the country with 11,861 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 10,632 communications graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 186 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in communications. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great communications programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the communications program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communications (Income $30-$48k)

#1

Cornell University

Ithaca, New York
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 186 schools in the Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Cornell University landed the #1 spot on the list. Cornell is a large school located in Ithaca, New York that handed out 90 bachelors’s communication arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree communication arts students whose families make $30-$48k list, Cornell has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cornell University is $7,518 for Bachelor’s Degree Communication Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Communications at Cornell University

#2

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, North Carolina
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Wake Forest University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k. Wake Forest University is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 113 bachelors’s communication arts degrees to qualified students.

Wake Forest University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Wake Forest University is $5,981 for bachelor’s degree communication arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Wake Forest University Communications Report

#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 279 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communication arts students in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #4 spot in our “Best Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,464 for bachelor’s degree communication arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UIUC.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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 more about Communications at UIUC

#4

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#16 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, and it awarded 131 bachelors’s communication arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Purdue also took the #16 spot in our “Best Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $5,879 for Bachelor’s Degree Communication Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 Purdue Communications Report

#5

The City College of New York

New York, New York

Out of the 186 schools in the Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, The City College of New York landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in New York, New York, this fairly large public school awarded 95 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communication arts students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CCNY is $2,947 for Bachelor’s Degree Communication Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full The City College of New York Communications Report

#6

Baruch College

New York, New York

Baruch College landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in New York, New York, this fairly large public school handed out 73 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communication arts students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $4,201 for Bachelor’s Degree Communication Arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Baruch.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communications at Baruch College

With a ranking of #7, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Edinburg, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communication arts degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,473 for bachelor’s degree communication arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communications at UT Rio Grande Valley

#8

Boston University

Boston, Massachusetts
#2 in overall quality

Boston University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s communication arts degrees to 428 students in 2019-2020.

Boston U also made our “Best Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Boston U is $13,256 for Bachelor’s Degree Communication Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.

Read more about Communications at Boston University

#9

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#3 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school awarded 517 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communication arts students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree communication arts students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCSB has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $11,895 for Bachelor’s Degree Communication Arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communications at University of California - Santa Barbara

#10

Brooklyn College

Brooklyn, New York

With a ranking of #10, Brooklyn College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Brooklyn, New York, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s communication arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Brooklyn College is $2,898 for Bachelor’s Degree Communication Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communications at Brooklyn College

#6 in overall quality

University of California - Davis ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 323 bachelors’s communication arts degrees to qualified students.

UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $10,769 for bachelor’s degree communication arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UC Davis.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, 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 93%.

Read more about Communications at UC Davis

#12

University of North Florida

Jacksonville, Florida

University of North Florida ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. UNF is a fairly large school located in Jacksonville, Florida that handed out 233 bachelors’s communication arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of North Florida is $5,942 for Bachelor’s Degree Communication Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 University of North Florida Communications Report

#10 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 239 bachelors’s communication arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD also took the #10 spot in our “Best Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - San Diego is $9,974 for Bachelor’s Degree Communication Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of California - San Diego Communications Report

#14

Texas A&M University - College Station

College Station, Texas
#7 in overall quality

Texas A&M University - College Station came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Texas A&M University - College Station is a public institution located in College Station, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 346 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas A&M College Station did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M College Station is $13,270 for bachelor’s degree communication arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communications at Texas A&M University - College Station

The University of Texas at San Antonio came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. San Antonio, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communication arts degrees to 289 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,109 for Bachelor’s Degree Communication Arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend The University of Texas at San Antonio.

Read more about Communications at UTSA

#16

College of Staten Island CUNY

Staten Island, New York

With a ranking of #16, College of Staten Island CUNY did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. CSI is a public institution located in Staten Island, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 70 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,436 for bachelor’s degree communication arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend College of Staten Island CUNY.

Read more about Communications at CSI

Texas A&M International University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Laredo, Texas, this medium-sized public school awarded 36 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communication arts students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $2,298 for bachelor’s degree communication arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Texas A&M International University.

Read more about Communications at Texas A&M International University

#18

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Whitewater, Wisconsin
#23 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Whitewater, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communication arts degrees to 141 students in 2019-2020.

UW - Whitewater also took the #23 spot in our “Best Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW - Whitewater is $12,156 for Bachelor’s Degree Communication Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Communications Report

#19

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Top 25% in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is a medium-sized school located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin that handed out 90 bachelors’s communication arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UW - Stevens Point is $11,433 for bachelor’s degree communication arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Communications at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

#20

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst, Massachusetts
#9 in overall quality

University of Massachusetts Amherst came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Massachusetts Amherst is a large school located in Amherst, Massachusetts that handed out 295 bachelors’s communication arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree communication arts students whose families make $30-$48k list, UMass Amherst has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $14,474 for Bachelor’s Degree Communication Arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UMass Amherst.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communications at UMass Amherst

#21

University of Minnesota - Crookston

Crookston, Minnesota

University of Minnesota - Crookston did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #21. Crookston, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communication arts degrees to 23 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UMN Crookston is $7,948 for bachelor’s degree communication arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full University of Minnesota - Crookston Communications Report

#22

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan

Oakland University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Oakland is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 146 bachelors’s communication arts degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Oakland is $7,751 for Bachelor’s Degree Communication Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Communications at Oakland

#23

Towson University

Towson, Maryland
#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #23, Towson University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Towson is a large public school situated in Towson, Maryland. It awarded 146 bachelors’s communication arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Towson also made our “Best Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #17. It costs about $12,632 for Bachelor’s Degree Communication Arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Towson.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The low student loan default rate of 3.8% 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%.

Read full report on Communications at Towson University

#24

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

Green Bay, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #24, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Green Bay, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school handed out 52 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communication arts students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is $11,641 for bachelor’s degree communication arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Communications at University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

#25

George Washington University

Washington, District of Columbia
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #25, George Washington University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. GWU is a large school located in Washington, District of Columbia that handed out 33 bachelors’s communication arts degrees in 2019-2020.

GWU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for GWU is $17,924 for bachelor’s degree communication arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full George Washington University Communications Report

Rest of the Best 28 in Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k

Not only did these schools make the top 28 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#26

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Eau Claire, Wisconsin
#28

University of Illinois at Springfield

Springfield, Illinois

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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