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2023 Best Value Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Middle Atlantic Region

128 Ranked Colleges
10,019 Degrees Awarded
$7,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Communication & Media Studies is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 10th of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 66,787 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2019-2020, communication and media studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $34,115 and had an average of $25,414 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Middle Atlantic region, there were 10,019 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,771 and $23,915 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 128 colleges that offered a degree in communication and media studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent communication and media studies programs, but they also 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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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for middle atlantic region communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Middle Atlantic Region

1
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Out of the 128 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pennsylvania landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Pennsylvania is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 96 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

UPenn also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend UPenn is $580 for Middle Atlantic Region Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UPenn Communication & Media Studies Report

2
Johns Hopkins crest
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Johns Hopkins University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Johns Hopkins University is a large school located in Baltimore, Maryland that handed out 151 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Johns Hopkins also took the #3 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Johns Hopkins University is $2,084 for Middle Atlantic Region Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Johns Hopkins Communication & Media Studies Report

3
Cornell crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Cornell University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Cornell University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ithaca, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 99 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Cornell did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. It costs about $5,244 for middle atlantic region communications students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cornell University.

The undergraduate 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Cornell Communication & Media Studies Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Columbia University in the City of New York. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Columbia is a large school located in New York, New York that handed out 92 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Columbia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. It costs about $9,873 for Middle Atlantic Region Communications students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Columbia.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Columbia University in the City of New York Communication & Media Studies Report

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Maryland - College Park. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Maryland - College Park is a public institution located in College Park, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 289 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UMCP did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Maryland - College Park is $6,067 for middle atlantic region communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national 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 UMCP Communication & Media Studies Report

6
Hunter crest
Hunter College
New York, New York

Hunter College landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s communications degrees to 164 students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Hunter is $396 for middle atlantic region communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Hunter

7
Baruch crest
Baruch College
New York, New York

Baruch College landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Baruch College is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 64 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $493 for Middle Atlantic Region Communications students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Baruch.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Baruch

8
Brooklyn College crest
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, New York

Brooklyn College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Brooklyn College is a fairly large school located in Brooklyn, New York that handed out 74 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Brooklyn College is $1,547 for Middle Atlantic Region Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Brooklyn College

9

The City College of New York did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. The City College of New York is a fairly large public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 82 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for The City College of New York is $1,254 for middle atlantic region communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at The City College of New York

10
QC crest
Queens College
Queens, New York

Queens College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. QC is a fairly large public school situated in Queens, New York. It awarded 128 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $1,344 for Middle Atlantic Region Communications students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Queens College.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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 Communication & Media Studies at Queens College

11
UD crest
University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware

University of Delaware did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. This large school is located in Newark, Delaware, and it awarded 175 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UD, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Delaware is $13,726 for middle atlantic region communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UD Communication & Media Studies Report

12
Nassau Community College crest
Nassau Community College
Garden City, New York

Nassau Community College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Nassau Community College is a public institution located in Garden City, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 37 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Nassau Community College is $2,197 for middle atlantic region communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Nassau Community College Communication & Media Studies Report

13
Towson crest
Towson University
Towson, Maryland

Towson University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Towson, Maryland, this large public school awarded 152 degrees to qualified ’s communications students in 2020-2021.

Towson also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #15. The estimated yearly cost for Towson University is $7,956 for middle atlantic region communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 Communication & Media Studies at Towson University

14
University at Buffalo crest
University at Buffalo
Buffalo, New York

University at Buffalo landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University at Buffalo is a public institution located in Buffalo, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 362 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

University at Buffalo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University at Buffalo is $14,098 for middle atlantic region communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at University at Buffalo

15

With a ranking of #15, Borough of Manhattan Community College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. BMCC is located in New York, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 101 ’s communications degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend BMCC is $4,920 for middle atlantic region communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Borough of Manhattan Community College Communication & Media Studies Report

16
Vassar crest
Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, New York

With a ranking of #16, Vassar College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Vassar College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Poughkeepsie, New York. It awarded 15 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $10,535 for middle atlantic region communications students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Vassar.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, 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%.

Full Vassar College Communication & Media Studies Report

17
Lehman crest
Lehman College
Bronx, New York

Lehman College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Bronx, New York, this fairly large public school awarded 63 degrees to qualified ’s communications students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Lehman College is $881 for middle atlantic region communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Lehman College

18
SUNY College of Technology at Farmingdale crest
Farmingdale State College
Farmingdale, New York

Farmingdale State College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. SUNY College of Technology at Farmingdale is a public institution located in Farmingdale, New York. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 62 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $3,335 for middle atlantic region communications students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Farmingdale State College.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at SUNY College of Technology at Farmingdale

19
McDaniel crest
McDaniel College
Westminster, Maryland

McDaniel College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. McDaniel College is a small school located in Westminster, Maryland that handed out 19 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for McDaniel College is $20,223 for middle atlantic region communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at McDaniel College

20
LaGuardia crest
LaGuardia Community College
Long Island City, New York

LaGuardia Community College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Long Island City, New York, this fairly large public school awarded 54 degrees to qualified ’s communications students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $6,878 for Middle Atlantic Region Communications students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend LaGuardia.

Full LaGuardia Communication & Media Studies Report

21
SUNY Oneonta crest
SUNY Oneonta
Oneonta, New York

SUNY Oneonta did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #21. SUNY Oneonta is a medium-sized school located in Oneonta, New York that handed out 186 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend SUNY Oneonta is $11,696 for middle atlantic region communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full SUNY Oneonta Communication & Media Studies Report

22
UAlbany crest
University at Albany
Albany, New York

University at Albany did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. Albany, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s communications degrees to 269 students in 2020-2021.

UAlbany also took the #19 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University at Albany is $12,489 for middle atlantic region communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at University at Albany

23
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York

Syracuse University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. Syracuse is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Syracuse, New York. It awarded 130 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Syracuse, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Syracuse University is $17,250 for Middle Atlantic Region Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Syracuse University

24
Rutgers New Brunswick crest
Rutgers University - New Brunswick
New Brunswick, New Jersey

Rutgers University - New Brunswick did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #24. Rutgers New Brunswick is located in New Brunswick, New Jersey and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 312 ’s communications degrees to qualified students.

Rutgers New Brunswick not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Rutgers University - New Brunswick is $14,935 for middle atlantic region communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Rutgers New Brunswick

25
CSI crest
College of Staten Island CUNY
Staten Island, New York

College of Staten Island CUNY ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Staten Island, New York, and it awarded 91 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend College of Staten Island CUNY is $4,144 for middle atlantic region communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at CSI

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