14
Ranked Colleges
2,067
Degrees Awarded
$17,800
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that 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 Virginia, there were 2,067 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,169 and $28,330 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered 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.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the communication and media studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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 Virginia 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Virginia Tech. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k. Virginia Tech is a large public school situated in Blacksburg, Virginia. It awarded 266 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.
Virginia Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Tech is $11,934 for Virginia Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Virginia Tech Communication & Media Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend James Madison University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k. JMU is a public institution located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 446 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
JMU also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for JMU is $14,288 for Virginia Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full JMU Communication & Media Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Radford University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k. Radford University is located in Radford, Virginia and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 74 ’s communications degrees to qualified students.
Radford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Radford is $11,420 for Virginia Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full Radford Communication & Media Studies Report
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #4 spot on the list. VCU is located in Richmond, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 258 ’s communications degrees to qualified students.
VCU also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Commonwealth University is $14,507 for Virginia Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 VCU Communication & Media Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Christopher Newport University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Christopher Newport University is a small public school situated in Newport News, Virginia. It awarded 107 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.
CNU also took the #5 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CNU is $15,862 for Virginia Communications 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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 CNU Communication & Media Studies Report
Bridgewater College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Bridgewater, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 19 degrees to qualified ’s communications students in 2020-2021.
Bridgewater also took the #9 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bridgewater College is $16,714 for virginia communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Bridgewater College
Roanoke College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. Roanoke College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Salem, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 22 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Roanoke also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend Roanoke is $20,495 for Virginia Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Roanoke
Regent University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 95 degrees to qualified ’s communications students in 2020-2021.
Regent did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $20,479 for Virginia Communications students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Regent University.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Regent University
Randolph - Macon College landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Ashland, Virginia, and it awarded 41 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.
Randolph - Macon also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend Randolph - Macon College is $20,454 for Virginia Communications 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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Randolph - Macon College
Virginia State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Virginia State University is a small public school situated in Petersburg, Virginia. It awarded 58 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia communications students whose families make $0-$30k list, Virginia State has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia State University is $15,823 for virginia communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full Virginia State Communication & Media Studies Report
Marymount University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Arlington, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s communications degrees to 18 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia communications students whose families make $0-$30k list, Marymount has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Marymount University is $21,228 for virginia communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Marymount University
With a ranking of #12, Liberty University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Liberty University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 316 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Liberty University also took the #4 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Liberty University is $29,786 for virginia communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full Liberty University Communication & Media Studies Report
With a ranking of #13, University of Lynchburg did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lynchburg is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lynchburg, Virginia. It awarded 20 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia communications students whose families make $0-$30k list, Lynchburg has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Lynchburg is $17,706 for Virginia Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Lynchburg
With a ranking of #14, Virginia Union University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Richmond, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 11 diplomas to qualified ’s communications students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia communications students whose families make $0-$30k list, VUU has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend VUU is $18,941 for Virginia Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full Virginia Union University Communication & Media Studies Report
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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
- *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.
Credits
college factual
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