2026 Best Value Broadcast Journalism Schools in California
[Broadcast Journalism](/majors/communication-journalism-media/journalism/broadcast-journalism/) 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 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 11 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for broadcast journalism students.
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2026 Best Value Broadcast Journalism Schools in California
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the broadcast journalism degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Broadcast Journalism Schools
Leading the list is Long Beach City College, our #1 best value for broadcast journalism in California. Located in the city of Long Beach, Long Beach City College is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $1,556 in tuition and fees, compared with $12,544 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $6,000 to complete the broadcast journalism program here. Ten years after enrolling, students earn a median of $38,870. That is a strong return on a $6,000 median debt.
Students looking for strong value in broadcast journalism will find it at University Of La Verne, which ranked #2. University Of La Verne is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of La Verne. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $49,470. Broadcast Journalism graduates carry a median of $26,314 in student loans. Early-career broadcast journalism graduates make about $35,364. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 71%.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at New York Film Academy earned it the #3 place for broadcast journalism. Set in the city of Burbank, New York Film Academy is a small private for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $37,122. Broadcast Journalism graduates carry a median of $18,400 in student loans. Early-career broadcast journalism graduates make about $15,090. That is a strong return on a $18,400 median debt.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Chapman University earned it the #4 place for broadcast journalism. Set in the city of Orange, Chapman University is a large private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $64,984. Broadcast Journalism graduates carry a median of $22,500 in student loans. Soon after graduation, broadcast journalism degree recipients from Chapman University generally make around $41,645. That is a strong return on a $22,500 median debt. The acceptance rate is 65%.
Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 11 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 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.
