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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Speech Communication (Income $0-$30k)

455 Ranked Colleges
32,752 Degrees Awarded
$5,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Speech Communication is the 17th most popular major in the country with 41,970 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 32,752 speech communication graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 455 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in speech communication. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great speech communication programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the speech communication program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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 Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons 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.

Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree speech communication students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Speech Communication (Income $0-$30k)

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 455 schools in the Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s speech communication degrees to 101 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Speech Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $1,866 for Bachelor’s Degree Speech Communication students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northwestern.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Northwestern Speech Communication Report

#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. U-M is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at U-M, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Speech Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $3,166 for bachelor’s degree speech communication students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.

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 student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Speech Communication Report

#3

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina
#7 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a large school located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina that handed out 180 bachelors’s speech communication degrees in 2019-2020.

UNC Chapel Hill also made our “Best Speech Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend UNC Chapel Hill is $4,026 for bachelor’s degree speech communication students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UNC Chapel Hill Speech Communication Report

#4

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee
#22 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Vanderbilt University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Vanderbilt University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Nashville, Tennessee. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Vanderbilt, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Speech Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $3,156 for bachelor’s degree speech communication students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Vanderbilt University.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Speech Communication at Vanderbilt University

#14 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school awarded 290 degrees to qualified bachelors’s speech communication students in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison also took the #14 spot in our “Best Speech Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Madison is $4,367 for Bachelor’s Degree Speech Communication students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 Speech Communication at UW - Madison

#6

University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, Maryland
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, University of Maryland - College Park did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. College Park, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s speech communication degrees to 352 students in 2019-2020.

UMCP not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Speech Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $8,054 for Bachelor’s Degree Speech Communication students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UMCP.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The 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 UMCP Speech Communication Report

#17 in overall quality

University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 463 bachelors’s speech communication degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree speech communication students whose families make $0-$30k list, UW Seattle has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Speech Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $7,850 for Bachelor’s Degree Speech Communication students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 Speech Communication at UW Seattle

#8

Hunter College

New York, New York

Hunter College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Hunter is a large public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 1 bachelors’s speech communication degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $320 for Bachelor’s Degree Speech Communication students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Hunter College.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Speech Communication at Hunter

#9

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#25 in overall quality

Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s speech communication degrees in 2019-2020.

IU Bloomington also took the #25 spot in our “Best Speech Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend IU Bloomington is $4,969 for Bachelor’s Degree Speech Communication students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 Speech Communication at IU Bloomington

Top 25% in overall quality

Florida International University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Florida International University is a large school located in Miami, Florida that handed out 343 bachelors’s speech communication degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Florida International University is $5,002 for bachelor’s degree speech communication students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full FIU Speech Communication Report

#11

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
#2 in overall quality

Boston College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Boston College is located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 212 bachelors’s speech communication degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree speech communication students whose families make $0-$30k list, Boston College has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Speech Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Boston College is $6,353 for Bachelor’s Degree Speech Communication students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, 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 Speech Communication at Boston College

#12

Farmingdale State College

Farmingdale, New York

With a ranking of #12, Farmingdale State College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Farmingdale, New York, and it awarded 75 bachelors’s speech communication degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Farmingdale State College is $3,469 for Bachelor’s Degree Speech Communication students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 Speech Communication at SUNY College of Technology at Farmingdale

#13

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
Top 10% in overall quality

Michigan State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Michigan State University is a large school located in East Lansing, Michigan that handed out 193 bachelors’s speech communication degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan State also claimed a top spot on our “Best Speech Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State University is $6,686 for Bachelor’s Degree Speech Communication students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Michigan State Speech Communication Report

#14

University of Central Florida

Orlando, Florida
Top 20% in overall quality

University of Central Florida ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UCF is located in Orlando, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 403 bachelors’s speech communication degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on this list, UCF is in the top on our “Best Speech Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend UCF is $6,211 for Bachelor’s Degree Speech Communication students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Speech Communication at University of Central Florida

Top 10% in overall quality

Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Ohio State is located in Columbus, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 485 bachelors’s speech communication degrees to qualified students.

On top of its placing in this ranking, Ohio State also did well on our “Best Speech Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State is $8,194 for Bachelor’s Degree Speech Communication students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Speech Communication at Ohio State

Top 20% in overall quality

California State University - Fullerton landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cal State Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 730 bachelors’s speech communication degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton also claimed a top spot on our “Best Speech Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Speech Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $4,291 for bachelor’s degree speech communication students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read full report on Speech Communication at Cal State Fullerton

University of South Florida - Main Campus ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of South Florida - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Tampa, Florida. It awarded 279 bachelors’s speech communication degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for USF Tampa is $3,950 for Bachelor’s Degree Speech Communication students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of South Florida - Main Campus Speech Communication Report

#18

Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts
#6 in overall quality

Northeastern University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. Northeastern University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Boston, Massachusetts. It awarded 129 bachelors’s speech communication degrees in 2019-2020.

Northeastern also made our “Best Speech Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern is $10,239 for Bachelor’s Degree Speech Communication students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Northeastern University Speech Communication Report

California State University - Los Angeles came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 210 degrees to qualified bachelors’s speech communication students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $1,379 for Bachelor’s Degree Speech Communication students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Speech Communication at Cal State LA

#20

Brooklyn College

Brooklyn, New York

Brooklyn College landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Brooklyn, New York, this fairly large public school awarded 59 degrees to qualified bachelors’s speech communication students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Brooklyn College is $1,106 for bachelor’s degree speech communication students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Brooklyn College Speech Communication Report

With a ranking of #21, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Edinburg, Texas, this large public school awarded 48 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s speech communication students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is $2,993 for Bachelor’s Degree Speech Communication students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Speech Communication at UT Rio Grande Valley

#22

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina
Top 10% in overall quality

North Carolina State University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. North Carolina State University is a large school located in Raleigh, North Carolina that handed out 199 bachelors’s speech communication degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, NC State is also in the top of our “Best Speech Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $7,285 for bachelor’s degree speech communication students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend NC State.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Speech Communication at NC State

#23

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

La Crosse, Wisconsin
Top 10% in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. La Crosse, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s speech communication degrees to 103 students in 2019-2020.

UW - La Crosse excels when it comes to speech communication quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Speech Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $7,939 for Bachelor’s Degree Speech Communication students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW - La Crosse.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Speech Communication at UW - La Crosse

#24

University of North Florida

Jacksonville, Florida

University of North Florida ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of North Florida is a fairly large school located in Jacksonville, Florida that handed out 13 bachelors’s speech communication degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of North Florida is $5,097 for Bachelor’s Degree Speech Communication students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Speech Communication at UNF

#25

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia
Top 10% in overall quality

University of Georgia landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UGA is a public institution located in Athens, Georgia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 135 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UGA also claimed a top spot on our “Best Speech Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for University of Georgia is $7,541 for Bachelor’s Degree Speech Communication students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Speech Communication at University of Georgia

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

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

#28

St Lawrence University

Canton, New York
#30

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#31

Truman State University

Kirksville, Missouri
#33

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona
#37

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky
#38

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia
#39

Florida Gulf Coast University

Fort Myers, Florida
#42

Appalachian State University

Boone, North Carolina
#46

Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, Florida
#47

Salisbury University

Salisbury, Maryland
#48

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Speech Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

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

Rank College Location
51 California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA
52 Utah Valley University Orem, UT
53 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
54 Southeastern Oklahoma State University Durant, OK
55 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
56 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC
57 University of Wyoming Laramie, WY
58 University of Delaware Newark, DE
59 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Edwardsville, IL
60 Western Washington University Bellingham, WA
61 California State University - San Marcos San Marcos, CA
62 University of New Hampshire at Manchester Manchester, NH
62 Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA
64 Indiana University - East Richmond, IN
65 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
Rank College Location
66 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
67 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
68 University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA
69 University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA

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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