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

14 Ranked Colleges
1,166 Degrees Awarded
$21,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor's in Washington

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Communication & Media Studies is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 9th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 68,079 degrees were awarded to students with this major. 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 Washington, there were 1,287 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,058 and $20,100 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,166 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,202 and $21,977 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington” ranking analyzed 14 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.

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. 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 Washington” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique 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 Washington

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

Top 14 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in Washington

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 463 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $13,297 for washington bachelor’s degree communications students.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

#2

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Washington University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington. This fairly large school is located in Bellingham, Washington, and it awarded 89 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our washington bachelor’s degree communications students list, WWU has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The yearly cost to attend WWU is $16,529 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Communications students.

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%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at WWU

#3

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Eastern Washington University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington. Cheney, Washington is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 97 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our washington bachelor’s degree communications students list, EWU has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. It costs about $12,607 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Communications students per year to attend EWU.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Eastern Washington University

#4

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington that were part of this year’s ranking, Washington State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Wazzu is a large school located in Pullman, Washington that handed out 6 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our washington bachelor’s degree communications students list, Wazzu has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Wazzu is $16,358 for washington bachelor’s degree communications students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Washington State University

#5

Central Washington University

Ellensburg, Washington

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Central Washington University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington. Ellensburg, Washington is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 26 students in 2019-2020.

CWU also took the #12 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. It costs about $15,397 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Communications students per year to attend Central Washington University.

Full CWU Communication & Media Studies Report

#6

Northwest University

Kirkland, Washington
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Northwest University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. This small school is located in Kirkland, Washington, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our washington bachelor’s degree communications students list, Northwest University has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwest University is $22,194 for washington bachelor’s degree communications students.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Northwest University

University of Washington - Tacoma Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. Located in Tacoma, Washington, this medium-sized public school handed out 104 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Tacoma, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. It costs about $10,817 for washington bachelor’s degree communications students per year to attend UW Tacoma.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Washington - Tacoma Campus

University of Washington - Bothell Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. University of Washington - Bothell Campus is a medium-sized public school situated in Bothell, Washington. It awarded 149 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Bothell not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list. The yearly cost to attend UW Bothell is $11,060 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Communications students.

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

Full University of Washington - Bothell Campus Communication & Media Studies Report

#9

Pacific Lutheran University

Tacoma, Washington

Pacific Lutheran University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. Pacific Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Tacoma, Washington. The school has a small population, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

PLU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list. It costs about $23,058 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Communications students per year to attend PLU.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at PLU

#10

Gonzaga University

Spokane, Washington

With a ranking of #10, Gonzaga University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. Gonzaga is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Spokane, Washington. It awarded 42 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Gonzaga also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Gonzaga is $33,793 for washington bachelor’s degree communications students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 Gonzaga

#11

Seattle Pacific University

Seattle, Washington

Seattle Pacific University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 29 students in 2019-2020.

SPU also took the #6 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SPU is $26,505 for washington bachelor’s degree communications students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Seattle Pacific University

#12

Whitworth University

Spokane, Washington

Whitworth University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. Whitworth is a small school located in Spokane, Washington that handed out 14 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our washington bachelor’s degree communications students list, Whitworth has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Whitworth is $25,557 for washington bachelor’s degree communications students.

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%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Whitworth University

#13

Seattle University

Seattle, Washington

Seattle University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 35 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Seattle U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list. It costs about $34,802 for washington bachelor’s degree communications students per year to attend Seattle University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Seattle U Communication & Media Studies Report

#14

University of Puget Sound

Tacoma, Washington

University of Puget Sound did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington ranking, coming in at #14. Tacoma, Washington is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 30 students in 2019-2020.

Puget Sound not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Puget Sound is $35,149 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Communications students.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low 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%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Puget Sound

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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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