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2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k

73 Ranked Colleges
15,404 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Communications Schools 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. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 66,787 communication and media studies students received their degree, making the major the 10th most popular in the country. 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 Far Western US region, there were 15,404 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,160 and $21,474 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 73 colleges that offered a degree 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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The communications school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k”.

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. 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 Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k

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

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

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 55 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $7,081 for Far Western US Region Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full Stanford University Communication & Media Studies Report

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 411 ’s communications degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $8,393 for far western us region communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, 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 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at UW Seattle

3

Out of the 73 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #3 spot on the list. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 268 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $13,423 for far western us region communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at University of California - Berkeley

4

Out of the 73 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #4 spot on the list. University of California - Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 300 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region communications students whose families make $48-$75k list, UC Davis has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $14,193 for far western us region communications students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UC Davis.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Davis Communication & Media Studies Report

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k. California State University - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 207 ’s communications degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $5,700 for Far Western US Region Communications students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Cal State LA.

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 California State University - Los Angeles

6

University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school handed out 469 degrees to qualified ’s communications students in 2020-2021.

UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCSB is $14,583 for far western us region communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of California - Santa Barbara

7

With a ranking of #7, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s communications degrees to 777 students in 2020-2021.

Cal State Fullerton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $9,017 for Far Western US Region 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Cal State Fullerton

8

University of California - San Diego ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 271 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $14,310 for far western us region communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at University of California - San Diego

9
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #9. USC is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 567 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region communications students whose families make $48-$75k list, USC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for USC is $22,826 for far western us region communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full USC Communication & Media Studies Report

10

California State University - Long Beach came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s communications degrees to 387 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region communications students whose families make $48-$75k list, CSULB has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $11,189 for far western us region communications students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.

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 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

11

California State University - Fresno came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Fresno State is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 102 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $8,030 for far western us region communications students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Fresno.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Fresno State

12

California State University - Sacramento landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Sac State is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 492 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Sac State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $12,602 for Far Western US Region Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Sacramento Communication & Media Studies Report

13

California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #13. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s communications degrees to 367 students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $10,780 for far western us region communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at CSUN

14

University of Nevada - Las Vegas did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Las Vegas, Nevada, this large public school awarded 259 degrees to qualified ’s communications students in 2020-2021.

UNLV also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #22. The estimated yearly cost for University of Nevada - Las Vegas is $11,929 for Far Western US Region Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.9% 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%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at UNLV

15

With a ranking of #15, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - San Bernardino is a fairly large school located in San Bernardino, California that handed out 166 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $9,854 for Far Western US Region Communications students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend CSUSB.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

16
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. SDSU is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 242 ’s communications degrees to qualified students.

SDSU also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $14,698 for Far Western US Region 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full San Diego State University Communication & Media Studies Report

17
UO crest
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon

University of Oregon did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #17. UO is a large school located in Eugene, Oregon that handed out 38 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

UO also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for UO is $16,014 for far western us region communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 University of Oregon

18

California State University - Stanislaus ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - Stanislaus is a fairly large public school situated in Turlock, California. It awarded 75 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Stanislaus is $7,976 for Far Western US Region Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 California State University - Stanislaus Communication & Media Studies Report

19
Wazzu crest
Washington State University
Pullman, Washington

Washington State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Washington State University is a large public school situated in Pullman, Washington. It awarded 46 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Wazzu not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Wazzu is $14,233 for Far Western US Region Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 Washington State University Communication & Media Studies Report

20
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school awarded 332 degrees to qualified ’s communications students in 2020-2021.

San Jose State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State University is $17,338 for far western us region communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 San Jose State Communication & Media Studies Report

21

With a ranking of #21, California State University - San Marcos did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - San Marcos is a public institution located in San Marcos, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 231 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region communications students whose families make $48-$75k list, CSUSM has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $14,309 for Far Western US Region Communications students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend CSUSM.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at California State University - San Marcos

22
San Diego Mesa College crest
San Diego Mesa College
San Diego, California

San Diego Mesa College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #22. San Diego Mesa College is a fairly large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 68 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for San Diego Mesa College is $8,272 for far western us region communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at San Diego Mesa College

23

California State University - Bakersfield came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Bakersfield, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s communications degrees to 109 students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUB is $9,102 for Far Western US Region Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at CSUB

24
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. San Francisco State University is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 343 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

SFSU also took the #12 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $16,065 for Far Western US Region Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at SFSU

25

California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools 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 25 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Dominguez Hills is $6,333 for Far Western US Region Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at CSUDH

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