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2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major

1,105 Ranked Colleges
53,798 Degrees Awarded
$32,706 Avg Salary
Schools for a Bachelor's Highly Focused on Communications Major

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Communication & Media Studies is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 10th of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 66,787 degrees were awarded to students with this major. 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.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 53,798 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,682 and $26,217 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major” ranking, we looked at 1,105 colleges that offer a degree in communication and media studies. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their communication and media studies program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major

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

Top 25 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend John Paul the Great Catholic University. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major. Escondido, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 55 students in 2020-2021.

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

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at JPCatholic

2
Hanover crest
Hanover College
Hanover, Indiana

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Hanover College. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major. Hanover College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Hanover, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Hanover College

3
Wilberforce University crest
Wilberforce University
Wilberforce, Ohio

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wilberforce University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major list. Wilberforce University is a small school located in Wilberforce, Ohio that handed out 10 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate 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.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Wilberforce University

4
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DePauw University
Greencastle, Indiana

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend DePauw University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major list. DePauw is a private not-for-profit institution located in Greencastle, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 66 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at DePauw

5
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Mitchell College
New London, Connecticut

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mitchell College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major list. Mitchell College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in New London, Connecticut. It awarded 15 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Mitchell College

6
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Marist College
Poughkeepsie, New York

Marist College landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major ranking. Marist is a private not-for-profit institution located in Poughkeepsie, New York. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 202 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Marist College Communication & Media Studies Report

7
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SUNY Oneonta
Oneonta, New York

SUNY Oneonta came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major ranking. Located in Oneonta, New York, this medium-sized public school awarded 186 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad 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 SUNY Oneonta

8
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Randolph - Macon College
Ashland, Virginia

Randolph - Macon College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major ranking, coming in at #8. Randolph - Macon is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Ashland, Virginia. It awarded 41 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

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

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Randolph - Macon College

9

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major list. Located in Cheyney, Pennsylvania, this small public school handed out 10 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania

10
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Lasell University
Newton, Massachusetts

Lasell University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major ranking, coming in at #10. Lasell University is a small school located in Newton, Massachusetts that handed out 61 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Lasell Communication & Media Studies Report

11
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Rollins College
Winter Park, Florida

Rollins College landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major ranking. Rollins College is located in Winter Park, Florida and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 82 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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%. 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 Rollins College Communication & Media Studies Report

12
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Five Towns College
Dix Hills, New York

With a ranking of #12, Five Towns College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major list. Dix Hills, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Five Towns College

13
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Rochester University
Rochester Hills, Michigan

With a ranking of #13, Rochester University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major list. Rochester University is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 23 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.

Full RU Communication & Media Studies Report

14
Morris College crest
Morris College
Sumter, South Carolina

With a ranking of #14, Morris College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major list. Sumter, South Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.

Full Morris College Communication & Media Studies Report

15
Bethany College West Virginia crest
Bethany College West Virginia
Bethany, West Virginia

Bethany College West Virginia ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major list. Bethany College West Virginia is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bethany, West Virginia. It awarded 9 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Bethany College West Virginia

16
Paul Quinn College crest
Paul Quinn College
Dallas, Texas

Paul Quinn College landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major ranking. Paul Quinn College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Dallas, Texas. It awarded 8 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Paul Quinn College

17
Dillard University crest
Dillard University
New Orleans, Louisiana

Dillard University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major ranking. This small school is located in New Orleans, Louisiana, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Dillard University

18
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Marymount Manhattan College
New York, New York

With a ranking of #18, Marymount Manhattan College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major list. This small school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

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.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at MMC

19
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Johnson C Smith University
Charlotte, North Carolina

With a ranking of #19, Johnson C Smith University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major list. JCSU is a small school located in Charlotte, North Carolina that handed out 23 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at JCSU

20
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Muhlenberg College
Allentown, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #20, Muhlenberg College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major list. Muhlenberg College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It awarded 56 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Muhlenberg

21
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Ouachita Baptist University
Arkadelphia, Arkansas

Ouachita Baptist University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 38 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2020-2021.

Full Ouachita Baptist Communication & Media Studies Report

22
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Christopher Newport University
Newport News, Virginia

Christopher Newport University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major ranking, coming in at #22. Christopher Newport University is located in Newport News, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 107 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, 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%.

Full CNU Communication & Media Studies Report

23
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Westmont College
Santa Barbara, California

Westmont College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major ranking, coming in at #23. Westmont College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 29 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Westmont College

24
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Albion College
Albion, Michigan

Albion College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major ranking, coming in at #24. Albion is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Albion, Michigan. It awarded 31 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Albion Communication & Media Studies Report

25
Southwestern crest
Southwestern University
Georgetown, Texas

Southwestern University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major ranking, coming in at #25. Georgetown, Texas 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 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Southwestern

Rest of the Best 50 in Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
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Bethany Lutheran College
Mankato, Minnesota
27
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Virginia State University
Petersburg, Virginia
28
Denison crest
Denison University
Granville, Ohio
29
Principia crest
Principia College
Elsah, Illinois
30
Furman crest
Furman University
Greenville, South Carolina
31
Lane College crest
Lane College
Jackson, Tennessee
32
Tougaloo crest
Tougaloo College
Tougaloo, Mississippi
33
SUNY Geneseo crest
SUNY Geneseo
Geneseo, New York
34
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LIM College
New York, New York
35
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James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia
36
37
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High Point University
High Point, North Carolina
38
Emmanuel Boston crest
Emmanuel College Massachusetts
Boston, Massachusetts
39
40
41
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Alabama State University
Montgomery, Alabama
42
43
44
Ripon crest
Ripon College
Ripon, Wisconsin
45
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Salisbury University
Salisbury, Maryland
46
Coastal Carolina University crest
Coastal Carolina University
Conway, South Carolina
47
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Houghton College
Houghton, New York
48
Wiley College crest
Wiley College
Marshall, Texas
49
Bethune - Cookman University crest
Bethune - Cookman University
Daytona Beach, Florida
50
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John Carroll University
University Heights, Ohio

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Communications Major

While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

Rank College Location
51 Claflin University Orangeburg, SC
52 Landmark College Putney, VT
53 William Paterson University of New Jersey Wayne, NJ
54 Iona College New Rochelle, NY
54 Randolph College Lynchburg, VA
56 San Diego Christian College Santee, CA
57 College of Charleston Charleston, SC
58 Ave Maria University Ave Maria, FL
59 Curry College Milton, MA
60 Ramapo College of New Jersey Mahwah, NJ
61 North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC
62 California State University - Channel Islands Camarillo, CA
63 California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA
64 Oglethorpe University Atlanta, GA
65 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC
Rank College Location
66 Emmanuel College Franklin Springs, GA
67 Purchase College Purchase, NY
68 St. Andrews University Laurinburg, NC
69 Ottawa University - Surprise Surprise, AZ
70 Saint Norbert College De Pere, WI
71 The College of Wooster Wooster, OH
72 Stonehill College Easton, MA
73 Saint Johns University Collegeville, MN
74 College of Saint Benedict Saint Joseph, MN
75 University of Hawaii at Hilo Hilo, HI
76 University of South Carolina - Beaufort Bluffton, SC
77 University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA
78 Spring Hill College Mobile, AL
79 Transylvania University Lexington, KY
80 Cabrini University Radnor, PA
81 Life Pacific College San Dimas, CA
82 Linfield University - McMinnville Campus McMinnville, OR
83 Shaw University Raleigh, NC
84 Berea College Berea, KY
85 University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO
86 Pitzer College Claremont, CA
87 Wartburg College Waverly, IA
88 Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA
89 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
90 Heidelberg University Tiffin, OH
Rank College Location
91 Monmouth University West Long Branch, NJ
92 Longwood University Farmville, VA
93 Harris - Stowe State University Saint Louis, MO
94 Edward Waters College Jacksonville, FL
95 Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX
96 Loyola University Maryland Baltimore, MD
97 Eastern Connecticut State University Willimantic, CT
98 SUNY Old Westbury Old Westbury, NY
99 California State University - San Marcos San Marcos, CA
100 Catawba College Salisbury, NC
101 Westfield State University Westfield, MA
102 Gustavus Adolphus College Saint Peter, MN
103 University of the Ozarks Clarksville, AR
104 Gordon College Wenham, MA
105 Northwest University Kirkland, WA
106 Central College Pella, IA
107 Grove City College Grove City, PA
108 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
109 Ursinus College Collegeville, PA
109 Benedict College Columbia, SC
109 Bethel University Minnesota Saint Paul, MN
112 Saint Edward’s University Austin, TX
113 Kentucky Wesleyan College Owensboro, KY
114 University of Minnesota - Crookston Crookston, MN
115 Pine Manor College Chestnut Hill, MA
Rank College Location
116 Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers, FL
117 Holy Names University Oakland, CA
118 Grambling State University Grambling, LA
119 Elizabethtown College Elizabethtown, PA
120 Paine College Augusta, GA
121 Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA
122 Western Connecticut State University Danbury, CT
123 Eureka College Eureka, IL
124 Scripps College Claremont, CA
125 Vanguard University of Southern California Costa Mesa, CA
126 University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma Chickasha, OK
127 University at Albany Albany, NY
128 Kean University Union, NJ
129 Lindsey Wilson College Columbia, KY
129 Roanoke College Salem, VA
131 Indiana University - East Richmond, IN
132 Talladega College Talladega, AL
133 Austin College Sherman, TX
134 Augustana College Rock Island, IL
135 Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown, PA
136 Universidad del Sagrado Corazon Santurce, PR
137 Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA
138 Saint Augustine’s University Raleigh, NC
139 Lander University Greenwood, SC
140 Fairfield University Fairfield, CT
Rank College Location
141 University of Puget Sound Tacoma, WA
142 Manhattanville College Purchase, NY
143 Hope College Holland, MI
144 California Lutheran University Thousand Oaks, CA
145 Pomona College Claremont, CA
146 Drew University Madison, NJ
147 Concordia College at Moorhead Moorhead, MN
147 Ottawa University - Ottawa Ottawa, KS
147 Millersville University of Pennsylvania Millersville, PA
150 University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL
151 Waynesburg University Waynesburg, PA
152 University of Washington - Tacoma Campus Tacoma, WA
153 Allegheny College Meadville, PA
154 SUNY Potsdam Potsdam, NY
155 Centenary College of Louisiana Shreveport, LA
156 Tennessee State University Nashville, TN
157 Missouri Valley College Marshall, MO
158 Goucher College Baltimore, MD
159 Aquinas College Michigan Grand Rapids, MI
160 East Texas Baptist University Marshall, TX
161 University of Dayton Dayton, OH
162 Arizona State University - Skysong Scottsdale, AZ
163 Saint Vincent College Latrobe, PA
164 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
165 Fairleigh Dickinson University - Florham Campus Madison, NJ
Rank College Location
165 Saint Mary’s College Notre Dame, IN
165 Birmingham Southern College Birmingham, AL

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