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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Far Western US Region

81 Ranked Colleges
9,692 Degrees Awarded
$33,176 Avg Salary
Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

With 68,079 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, communication and media studies is the 9th most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, communication and media studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,728 and had an average of $24,931 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 15,759 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,204 and $21,798 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 9,692 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 81 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in communication and media studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality communication and media studies programs that also have a lower cost than 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. 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 Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k” 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. 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 for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Far Western US Region

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $1,959 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Stanford University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Stanford

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k. UW Seattle is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 463 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $9,694 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive 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 University of Washington - Seattle Campus

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school handed out 284 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $13,081 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at UC Berkeley

#4

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Barbara. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of California - Santa Barbara is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 517 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.

UCSB also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $15,343 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UCSB.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at UCSB

Out of the 81 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #5 spot on the list. Cal State Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 730 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.

Cal State Fullerton also took the #20 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $9,427 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal State Fullerton Communication & Media Studies Report

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. UC Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 323 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.

UC Davis also took the #6 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $13,578 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of California - Davis Communication & Media Studies Report

With a ranking of #7, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 210 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $5,644 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at California State University - Los Angeles

California State University - Long Beach ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 365 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB also took the #21 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $10,807 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full California State University - Long Beach Communication & Media Studies Report

University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #9. UCSD is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 239 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k list, UCSD has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $14,071 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - San Diego.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, 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 Communication & Media Studies at University of California - San Diego

California State University - Fresno landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school handed out 102 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $7,549 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full California State University - Fresno Communication & Media Studies Report

California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a fairly large school located in Carson, California that handed out 64 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Dominguez Hills is $6,907 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

The 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 California State University - Dominguez Hills Communication & Media Studies Report

California State University - Stanislaus ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Turlock, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 76 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Stanislaus is $7,772 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Stan State

California State University - Northridge ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - Northridge is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 369 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,783 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend CSUN.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Northridge Communication & Media Studies Report

University of Nevada - Las Vegas ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. UNLV is a large public school situated in Las Vegas, Nevada. It awarded 237 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UNLV is $12,470 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at University of Nevada - Las Vegas

California State University - Bakersfield came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. CSUB is a public institution located in Bakersfield, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 98 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Bakersfield is $7,564 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at CSUB

With a ranking of #16, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - Sacramento is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 531 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Sac State is $11,413 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Sacramento Communication & Media Studies Report

#17

Pitzer College

Claremont, California

With a ranking of #17, Pitzer College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Pitzer College is located in Claremont, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 19 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.

Pitzer also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for Pitzer is $15,939 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

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. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Pitzer Communication & Media Studies Report

#18

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

With a ranking of #18, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - San Bernardino is located in San Bernardino, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 206 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Bernardino is $8,924 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at California State University - San Bernardino

#19

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #19. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 190 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $14,730 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low 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%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at SDSU

#20

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. USC is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 314 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

USC also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend USC is $20,050 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Southern California Communication & Media Studies Report

California State University - San Marcos did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #21. San Marcos, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 278 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUSM is $14,582 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at CSUSM

With a ranking of #22, University of Nevada - Reno did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Reno, Nevada is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 64 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Nevada - Reno is $14,947 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at UNR

#23

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington

Eastern Washington University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #23. EWU is a fairly large public school situated in Cheney, Washington. It awarded 97 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Eastern Washington University is $12,856 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at EWU

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #24. This large school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 64 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $19,407 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

#25

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

San Jose State University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school handed out 273 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k list, San Jose State has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $16,397 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend San Jose State University.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 more about Communication & Media Studies at San Jose State

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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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