2023 Best Value Colleges for General Journalism (Income $30-$48k) in California
19
Ranked Colleges
1,561
Degrees Awarded
$15,100
Avg Net Price*
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 Journalism Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 11,380 people earned their degree in general journalism, making the major the 69th most popular in the United States.
Across California, there were 1,561 general journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 19 colleges that offered a degree in general journalism. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general journalism programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general journalism program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The journalism 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 “Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k”.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. 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.
Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k.
Top 19 Best Value Colleges for General Journalism (Income $30-$48k) in California
Out of the 19 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #1 spot on the list. Fresno State is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 85 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Fresno State also made our “Best General Journalism Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $4,655 for California Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Fresno General Journalism Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 113 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at USC, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best General Journalism Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Southern California is $17,345 for california journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read full report on General Journalism at University of Southern California
Out of the 19 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #3 spot on the list. CSULB is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 109 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best General Journalism Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $7,573 for California Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Journalism at CSULB
Out of the 19 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego State University landed the #4 spot on the list. San Diego State University is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 170 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,274 for California Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend San Diego State University.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Journalism at San Diego State University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
Cal State LA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $2,701 for california journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Journalism at California State University - Los Angeles
California State University - Sacramento came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Sac State is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 41 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Sac State also took the #11 spot in our “Best General Journalism Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $9,055 for california journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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%.
Read full report on General Journalism at California State University - Sacramento
California State University - Northridge came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Northridge, California, and it awarded 161 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
CSUN also took the #13 spot in our “Best General Journalism Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $7,103 for California Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Northridge.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Journalism at CSUN
With a ranking of #8, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a public institution located in Carson, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 21 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
CSUDH did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for CSUDH is $3,329 for california journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%.
Full CSUDH General Journalism Report
With a ranking of #9, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. San Jose State is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 52 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best General Journalism Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State University is $13,378 for California Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about General Journalism at San Jose State
With a ranking of #10, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Chico is a fairly large public school situated in Chico, California. It awarded 49 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Chico State also made our “Best General Journalism Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $13,040 for California Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Chico.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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%.
Read more about General Journalism at California State University - Chico
With a ranking of #11, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 80 students in 2020-2021.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also made our “Best General Journalism Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $13,194 for California Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. 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 General Journalism at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
San Francisco State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. San Francisco State University is a large public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 61 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
SFSU also took the #10 spot in our “Best General Journalism Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SFSU is $11,862 for california journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad 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 General Journalism at San Francisco State University
Humboldt State University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Humboldt State University is a medium-sized school located in Arcata, California that handed out 17 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Humboldt State University also took the #19 spot in our “Best General Journalism Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Humboldt State University is $12,298 for california journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read more about General Journalism at Humboldt State University
With a ranking of #15, California Baptist University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California Baptist University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal Baptist also made our “Best General Journalism Schools in California” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend California Baptist University is $22,162 for California Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California Baptist University General Journalism Report
Biola University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in La Mirada, California, and it awarded 16 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Biola also took the #12 spot in our “Best General Journalism Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $26,419 for california journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Biola University.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Journalism at Biola
Pepperdine University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #17. Located in Malibu, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 9 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
Pepperdine also took the #8 spot in our “Best General Journalism Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Pepperdine University is $25,909 for california journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Journalism at Pepperdine University
Loyola Marymount University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 29 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Loyola Marymount, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best General Journalism Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $31,985 for California Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Loyola Marymount.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Loyola Marymount General Journalism Report
Academy of Art University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Academy of Art University is a private for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 13 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Academy of Art University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in California” list. It costs about $32,975 for California Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Academy of Art University.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.
Full Academy of Art University General Journalism Report
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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
- *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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Jfurrer.
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