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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in California

51 Ranked Colleges
7,560 Degrees Awarded
$11,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor's in California

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 California, there were 13,425 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,239 and $21,690 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 7,560 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking, we looked at 51 colleges that offer 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.

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.

More Ways to Rank Communication & Media Studies Schools

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 for a Bachelor’s in California”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree communications students.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in California

Out of the 51 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #1 spot on the list. CSULB is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 365 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $9,622 for california bachelor’s degree communications students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, 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 89%.

Full CSULB Communication & Media Studies Report

#2

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 #2 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 517 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $15,884 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.

The 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 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Northridge. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. This large school is located in Northridge, California, and it awarded 369 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $8,414 for california bachelor’s degree communications students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.

Full CSUN Communication & Media Studies Report

#4

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Jose State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. San Jose, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 273 students in 2019-2020.

San Jose State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,928 for california bachelor’s degree communications students per year to attend San Jose State University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 full report on Communication & Media Studies at San Jose State

#5

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

Out of the 51 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Francisco State University landed the #5 spot on the list. SFSU is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 406 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree communications students list, SFSU has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,113 for california bachelor’s degree communications students per year to attend San Francisco State University.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at SFSU

California State University - San Marcos did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #6. This fairly large school is located in San Marcos, California, and it awarded 278 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUSM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Marcos is $13,399 for california bachelor’s degree communications students.

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%.

Full California State University - San Marcos Communication & Media Studies Report

California State University - Fullerton came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $7,991 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive 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 California State University - Fullerton

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 64 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $21,595 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

University of California - Berkeley came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 284 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $15,329 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Berkeley Communication & Media Studies Report

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #10. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 531 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State also took the #22 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $9,979 for california bachelor’s degree communications students.

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%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Sac State

With a ranking of #11, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $14,669 for california bachelor’s degree communications students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at UC Davis

California State University - Fresno ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Fresno State is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 102 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,464 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students per year to attend Fresno State.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

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

With a ranking of #13, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 239 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree communications students list, UCSD has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $14,232 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students.

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

Full University of California - San Diego Communication & Media Studies Report

California State University - Chico landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Chico State is a fairly large school located in Chico, California that handed out 122 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Chico State is $15,017 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

California State University - Channel Islands landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in Camarillo, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 122 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.

CSUCI not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Channel Islands is $13,558 for california bachelor’s degree communications students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 California State University - Channel Islands

California State University - East Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #16. Cal State East Bay is a public institution located in Hayward, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 160 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,116 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students per year to attend Cal State East Bay.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Cal State East Bay

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #17. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a public institution located in Pomona, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 152 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly Pomona also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #23. It costs about $12,734 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students per year to attend Cal Poly Pomona.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

#18

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California

Sonoma State University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. SSU is a medium-sized public school situated in Rohnert Park, California. It awarded 106 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Sonoma State University is $17,478 for california bachelor’s degree communications students.

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%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at SSU

#19

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 190 students in 2019-2020.

SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $14,788 for california bachelor’s degree communications students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at SDSU

California State University - Bakersfield landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Bakersfield, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 98 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Bakersfield is $5,318 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students.

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

#21

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #21. Located in San Bernardino, California, this fairly large public school awarded 206 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUSB is $7,342 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students.

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

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at CSUSB

With a ranking of #22, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This fairly large school is located in Turlock, California, and it awarded 76 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Stan State is $6,019 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, 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 87%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Stan State

#23

University of Phoenix - California

Costa Mesa, California

University of Phoenix - California did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #23. Costa Mesa, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UOPX - California is $12,664 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students.

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

California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #24. Cal State LA 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 $2,768 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students.

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%.

Full Cal State LA Communication & Media Studies Report

California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. CSUDH 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 CSUDH is $4,215 for california bachelor’s degree communications students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full CSUDH 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

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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