[Other Communication & Media Studies](/majors/communication-journalism-media/communication-media-studies/other-communication-media-studies/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 3 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for other communication & media studies students.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the other communication & media studies degrees they offer, see the list below.
For return on investment in other communication & media studies, no school beat University Of Oregon this year. Set in the city of Eugene, University Of Oregon is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $15,320, compared with $42,516 for out-of-state students. Other Communication & Media Studies graduates carry a median of $16,500 in student loans. Other Communication & Media Studies graduates of University Of Oregon earn a median of $33,165 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $16,500 median debt. Roughly 88% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Willamette University earned it the #2 place for other communication & media studies. Willamette University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Salem. Students from in state pay about $51,156 in tuition and fees. Other Communication & Media Studies graduates carry a median of $26,000 in student loans. Soon after graduation, other communication & media studies degree recipients from Willamette University generally make around $31,472. Set against $26,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 77% of applicants are accepted.
Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
