[Communication & Media Studies](/majors/communication-journalism-media/communication-media-studies/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
To produce this 2027 ranking, College Factual evaluated 3 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for communication & media studies students.
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Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in communication & media studies, balancing cost against outcomes.
For return on investment in communication & media studies, no school beat Minot State University this year. Set in the city of Minot, Minot State University is a mid-sized public institution. Students from in state pay about $8,702 in tuition and fees. Communication & Media Studies graduates carry a median of $25,788 in student loans. Communication & Media Studies graduates of Minot State University earn a median of $50,645 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 65% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at University Of Mary earned it the #2 place for communication & media studies. Set in the rural area of Bismarck, University Of Mary is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $22,356. Communication & Media Studies graduates carry a median of $26,983 in student loans. Early-career communication & media studies graduates make about $65,565. That is a strong return on a $26,983 median debt. University Of Mary admits about 75% of applicants.
University Of North Dakota is a great value for students pursuing a degree in communication & media studies, landing the #3 spot this year. University Of North Dakota is a large public school located in the city of Grand Forks. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $10,951, while out-of-state students pay about $15,570. Communication & Media Studies graduates carry a median of $24,000 in student loans. Communication & Media Studies graduates of University Of North Dakota earn a median of $34,963 early in their careers. Set against $24,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 77%.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
