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In <nil>, 50,059 communication & media studies students received their bachelor's degrees, making the major the 5th most popular in the country.
This year's Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges for Non-Traditional Students ranking analyzed 434 colleges that offered a bachelor's degree in communications. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great communication & media studies programs and a strong support system for non-traditional students.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as affordability, and overall quality of the communication & media studies program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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 the Best Communications Schools for Non-Traditional Students.
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.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
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Featured Communication & Media Studies Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
BA in Communication
With an online bachelor's degree in communication you'll have the opportunity to pursue a multitude of career options. From journalism and social media, to public relations, advertising and mass media, earning your BA in communication will allow you to strategize and communicate your ideas.
Learn More
MA in Communication
Effective communicators are always in demand, no matter the industry. The Master's in Communication degree from Southern New Hampshire University is a cutting-edge program designed for forward-thinking professionals.
Learn More
Check out the communications programs at these schools if you want to see which ones are the best for non-traditional students.
University of Southern California has taken the #1 spot in this year's communication & media studies ranking for non-traditional students. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles. As a testament to the quality of education offered at USC, the school also landed the #2 rank in our Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies ranking.
About 0.5% of USC students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 15,291 students take at least one class online at USC. About 6,687 of the students at USC are attending part time.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Southern California
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earned the #2 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the small city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public college with a fairly large student population. In addition to being on our best for non-traditional students list, UNC Chapel Hill has also earned the #8 rank in our Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies ranking.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.9%. Approximately 6,990 students take at least one class online at UNC Chapel Hill. About 5,151 of the students at UNC Chapel Hill are attending part time.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Cornell University earned the #3 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population. Cornell did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies list.
The student loan default rate at Cornell is lower than is typical, just 0.4% of students default in three years. There are approximately 2,837 students at Cornell that take at least one class online. About 574 of the students at Cornell are attending part time.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Cornell University
Villanova University comes in at #4 in this year's ranking. Located in the suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, Villanova also did well on our Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies list. It's in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.3%. 1,551 students at Villanova are exclusively online. 2,678 students are part time.
Full Communication & Media Studies at Villanova University Report
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign earned the #5 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a fairly large student population. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, UIUC is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies list.
The student loan default rate at UIUC is lower than is typical, just 0.6% of students default in three years. Approximately 35,475 students take at least one class online at UIUC. There are roughly 10,007 part time students in attendance at UIUC.
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Our rankings recognize University of Utah as the #6 school in this year's rankings. U of U is a very large public school located in the city of Salt Lake City. U of U also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies list. It's in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
The student loan default rate at U of U is lower than is typical, just 0.8% of students default in three years. There are approximately 19,378 students at U of U that take at least one class online. 7,185 of U of U students are attending part time.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Utah
The #7 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of Maryland - College Park. UMCP is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of College Park. UMCP also made our Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies list, coming in at #6.
About 0.7% of UMCP students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 11,700 students at UMCP that take at least one class online. 4,841 of UMCP students are attending part time.
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Indiana University - Bloomington comes in at #8 in this year's ranking. IU Bloomington is a very large public school located in the city of Bloomington. IU Bloomington also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies list. It's in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.4%. Approximately 18,013 students take at least one class online at IU Bloomington. About 5,256 of the students at IU Bloomington are attending part time.
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Boston University earned the #9 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the large city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population. Boston U also made our Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies list, coming in at #4.
About 0.5% of Boston U students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 4,032 of Boston U students are exclusively distance learners. There are roughly 7,057 part time students in attendance at Boston U.
Full Communication & Media Studies at Boston University Report
The #10 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Michigan State University. Michigan State is a very large public school located in the small city of East Lansing. Michigan State also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies list. It's in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.8%. Approximately 33,526 students take at least one class online at Michigan State. 6,517 students are part time.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Michigan State University
San Jose State University comes in at #11 in this year's ranking. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school with a very large student population. San Jose State excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies list.
The student loan default rate at San Jose State is lower than is typical, just 0.9% of students default in three years. There are approximately 19,939 students at San Jose State that take at least one class online. About 9,800 of the students at San Jose State are attending part time.
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The #12 spot in this year's ranking belongs to California State University - Fullerton. Located in the large suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public school with a very large student population. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, Cal State Fullerton also did well on our Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies list. It's in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.
About 0.8% of Cal State Fullerton students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 25,781 students take at least one class online at Cal State Fullerton. There are roughly 10,634 part time students in attendance at Cal State Fullerton.
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University of Massachusetts Amherst comes in at #13 in this year's ranking. Located in the large suburb of Amherst, UMass Amherst is a public college with a very large student population. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UMass Amherst also is in the top 5% of our Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies ranking.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.9%. 4,105 of UMass Amherst students are exclusively distance learners. 6,786 students are part time.
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Texas A&M University - College Station comes in at #14 in this year's ranking. Texas A&M College Station is a very large public school located in the midsize city of College Station. Texas A&M College Station excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies list.
The student loan default rate at Texas A&M College Station is lower than is typical, just 0.6% of students default in three years. Approximately 24,343 students take at least one class online at Texas A&M College Station. About 9,943 of the students at Texas A&M College Station are attending part time.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Texas A&M University - College Station
James Madison University comes in at #15 in this year's ranking. Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public college with a very large student population. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, JMU is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies list.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.8%. Approximately 6,740 students take at least one class online at JMU. 2,328 students are part time.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at James Madison University
Our rankings recognize Boston College as the #16 school in this year's rankings. Boston College is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Chestnut Hill. Boston College not only placed well in our non-traditional rankings. It is also #9 on our Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies list.
The student loan default rate at Boston College is lower than is typical, just 0.5% of students default in three years. There are approximately 6,590 students at Boston College that take at least one class online. 1,916 of Boston College students are attending part time.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Boston College
California State University - East Bay earned the #17 spot in our 2021 rankings. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Hayward.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.3%. 7,069 of Cal State East Bay students are exclusively distance learners. 3,650 of Cal State East Bay students are attending part time.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at California State University - East Bay
Our rankings recognize University of Wisconsin - Madison as the #18 school in this year's rankings. Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public school with a fairly large student population. UW - Madison also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies list. It's in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.2%. Approximately 11,375 students take at least one class online at UW - Madison. 4,683 students are part time.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Wisconsin - Madison
The #19 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Florida International University. FIU is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Miami. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, FIU is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies list.
The student loan default rate at FIU is lower than is typical, just 2.0% of students default in three years. There are approximately 21,632 students at FIU that take at least one class online. 22,664 of FIU students are attending part time.
Full Communication & Media Studies at Florida International University Report
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor comes in at #20 in this year's ranking. Located in the city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public college with a very large student population. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, U-M also did well on our Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies list. It's in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.
The student loan default rate at U-M is lower than is typical, just 0.2% of students default in three years. Approximately 15,737 students take at least one class online at U-M. 3,568 of U-M students are attending part time.
Full Communication & Media Studies at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Report
Ohio State University - Main Campus comes in at #21 in this year's ranking. Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public college with a very large student population. Ohio State also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies list. It's in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
The student loan default rate at Ohio State is lower than is typical, just 1.2% of students default in three years. Approximately 42,293 students take at least one class online at Ohio State. 8,459 students are part time.
Full Communication & Media Studies at Ohio State University - Main Campus Report
Marist College landed the #22 spot in our 2021 best communication & media studies schools for non-traditional students. Located in the suburb of Poughkeepsie, Marist is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, Marist also did well on our Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies list. It's in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.1%. Approximately 1,703 students take at least one class online at Marist. 1,103 of Marist students are attending part time.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Marist College
The #23 spot in this year's ranking belongs to American University. Located in the city of Washington, The American University is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, The American University is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies list.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.9%. Approximately 5,283 students take at least one class online at The American University. About 3,612 of the students at The American University are attending part time.
Read More…
University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #24 spot in our 2021 best communication & media studies schools for non-traditional students. UW Seattle is a very large public school located in the large city of Seattle. UW Seattle excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies list.
About 0.7% of UW Seattle students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 8,815 students take at least one class online at UW Seattle. 9,705 students are part time.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
University of Arizona earned the #25 spot in our 2021 rankings. University of Arizona is a fairly large public school located in the city of Tucson. University of Arizona excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies list.
The student loan default rate at University of Arizona is lower than is typical, just 1.6% of students default in three years. There are approximately 18,254 students at University of Arizona that take at least one class online. There are roughly 12,642 part time students in attendance at University of Arizona.
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