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2023 Most Popular Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in California

174 Ranked Colleges
13,181 Degrees Awarded
$32,300 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Communications Major in California

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended Communications Major in California” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

With 66,787 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, communication and media studies is the 10th most popular major in the United States. 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 California, there were 13,181 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,861 and $20,384 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Well Attended Communications Major in California” ranking, we looked at 174 colleges that offer a degree in communication and media studies. To top this list, a school must have a successful communication and media studies program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Communication & Media Studies Schools

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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 “Most Well Attended Communications Major in California” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Most Well Attended Communications Major in California

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Communications Major in California”.

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Communications Major in California list. California State University - Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 777 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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

2
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Communications Major in California list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 567 degrees to qualified ’s communications students 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at USC

3

Out of the 174 schools in the Most Well Attended Communications Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Sacramento landed the #3 spot on the list. California State University - Sacramento is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 492 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Barbara. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Communications Major in California list. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s communications degrees to 469 students in 2020-2021.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Full UCSB Communication & Media Studies Report

5

Out of the 174 schools in the Most Well Attended Communications Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #5 spot on the list. CSULB is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 387 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

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 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full CSULB Communication & Media Studies Report

6

California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Communications Major in California ranking, coming in at #6. California State University - Northridge is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 367 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad 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 California State University - Northridge

7
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Communications Major in California ranking. SFSU is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 343 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at SFSU

8
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Communications Major in California ranking. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 332 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full San Jose State Communication & Media Studies Report

9

University of California - Davis landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Communications Major in California ranking. University of California - Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 300 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, 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 California - Davis

10

University of California - San Diego landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Communications Major in California ranking. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s communications degrees to 271 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 94%, 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 - San Diego

11

University of California - Berkeley came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Communications Major in California ranking. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s communications degrees to 268 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, 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 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

12
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended Communications Major in California list. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school handed out 242 diplomas to qualified ’s communications students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad 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 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at SDSU

13

California State University - San Marcos came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Communications Major in California ranking. CSUSM is located in San Marcos, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 231 ’s communications degrees to qualified students.

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

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

14

California State University - Los Angeles came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Communications Major in California ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 207 diplomas to qualified ’s communications students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Los Angeles Communication & Media Studies Report

15

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended Communications Major in California list. Pomona, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s communications degrees to 199 students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Cal Poly Pomona

16

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended Communications Major in California list. UCLA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 185 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, 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 96%.

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

17
Long Beach City College crest
Long Beach City College
Long Beach, California

Long Beach City College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Communications Major in California ranking. Long Beach City College is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 180 ’s communications degrees to qualified students.

Full Long Beach City College Communication & Media Studies Report

18
SMC crest
Santa Monica College
Santa Monica, California

Santa Monica College ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Communications Major in California list. SMC is a public institution located in Santa Monica, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 175 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Santa Monica College

19

California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Communications Major in California ranking, coming in at #19. 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.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, 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 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

20
SBCC crest
Santa Barbara City College
Santa Barbara, California

Santa Barbara City College ranked #20 on this year’s Most Well Attended Communications Major in California list. Santa Barbara City College is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 156 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Santa Barbara City College

21

California State University - East Bay did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Communications Major in California ranking, coming in at #21. This fairly large school is located in Hayward, California, and it awarded 152 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

22

California State University - Channel Islands landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Communications Major in California ranking. Located in Camarillo, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 146 diplomas to qualified ’s communications students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at CSUCI

23
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California

Santa Clara University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Communications Major in California ranking. SCU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Santa Clara, California. It awarded 142 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

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 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full SCU Communication & Media Studies Report

24
Orange Coast College crest
Orange Coast College
Costa Mesa, California

Orange Coast College ranked #24 on this year’s Most Well Attended Communications Major in California list. This fairly large school is located in Costa Mesa, California, and it awarded 140 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Orange Coast College Communication & Media Studies Report

25
Loyola Marymount crest
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, California

Loyola Marymount University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Communications Major in California ranking, coming in at #25. This fairly large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 138 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Loyola Marymount

Rest of the Best 27 in Most Well Attended Communications Major in California

Not only did these schools make the top 27 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
Chaffey College crest
Chaffey College
Rancho Cucamonga, California
27
Pasadena City College crest
Pasadena City College
Pasadena, California

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Notes and References

References

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