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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Journalism (Income $48-$75k)

245 Ranked Colleges
10,658 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $48-$75k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

General Journalism is the 58th most popular major in the country with 12,336 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 10,658 general journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 245 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general journalism. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general journalism programs, but they also 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 general journalism program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank General Journalism Schools

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 for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k”.

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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Journalism (Income $48-$75k)

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 151 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $6,452 for bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, 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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about General Journalism at Northwestern University

#2

Washington and Lee University

Lexington, Virginia
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washington and Lee University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Lexington, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.

Washington and Lee also made our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Washington and Lee is $4,718 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read full report on General Journalism at Washington and Lee

#4 in overall quality

Out of the 245 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 233 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

UW - Madison also made our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $13,227 for bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UW - Madison.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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 full report on General Journalism at UW - Madison

#4

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida
#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 130 students in 2019-2020.

UF did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Florida is $8,528 for bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Journalism at University of Florida

Top 15% in overall quality

Out of the 245 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 40 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle excels when it comes to journalism quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $9,694 for bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on General Journalism at UW Seattle

#6

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#6 in overall quality

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 277 students in 2019-2020.

UMN Twin Cities did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $12,556 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read more about General Journalism at UMN Twin Cities

#18 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #7. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 59 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #18 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $13,351 for bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, 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 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Journalism at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#8

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina
#20 in overall quality

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #8. UNC Chapel Hill is a large school located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina that handed out 18 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

UNC Chapel Hill also took the #20 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNC Chapel Hill is $11,060 for bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Journalism at UNC Chapel Hill

#7 in overall quality

University of Missouri - Columbia landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Columbia, Missouri, and it awarded 451 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Mizzou not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $13,145 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Missouri - Columbia.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read full report on General Journalism at Mizzou

#10

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#19 in overall quality

Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 142 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at IU Bloomington, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend IU Bloomington is $12,060 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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 full report on General Journalism at IU Bloomington

#11

Baruch College

New York, New York

Baruch College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Baruch College is located in New York, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 44 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Baruch is $7,954 for bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Baruch College General Journalism Report

#12

University of Central Florida

Orlando, Florida

University of Central Florida landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Orlando, Florida, and it awarded 49 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Central Florida is $11,161 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Journalism at University of Central Florida

#13

Brooklyn College

Brooklyn, New York

Brooklyn College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Brooklyn, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Brooklyn College is $7,317 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Journalism at Brooklyn College

California State University - Fresno did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #14. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 113 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $7,549 for bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, 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 87%.

Read full report on General Journalism at California State University - Fresno

#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 172 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Austin also took the #5 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UT Austin is $15,757 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 97%.

Read full report on General Journalism at The University of Texas at Austin

#16

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia
#16 in overall quality

With a ranking of #16, University of Georgia did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. UGA is a large school located in Athens, Georgia that handed out 159 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UGA, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $14,748 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Georgia.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Journalism at University of Georgia

Top 25% in overall quality

Brigham Young University - Provo landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Provo, Utah, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for BYU is $12,466 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Full BYU General Journalism Report

California State University - Long Beach landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school awarded 101 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $10,807 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 - Long Beach

Top 20% in overall quality

With a ranking of #19, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 53 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Ohio State also claimed a top spot on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State is $13,982 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Ohio State General Journalism Report

California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a fairly large public school situated in Carson, California. It awarded 17 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUDH is $6,907 for bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full CSUDH General Journalism Report

#21

West Virginia University

Morgantown, West Virginia
Top 25% in overall quality

West Virginia University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #21. West Virginia University is a large school located in Morgantown, West Virginia that handed out 180 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for West Virginia University is $13,220 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on General Journalism at West Virginia University

#22

University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, Maryland
#9 in overall quality

University of Maryland - College Park landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of Maryland - College Park is a public institution located in College Park, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 133 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMCP, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UMCP is $18,418 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Journalism at University of Maryland - College Park

#23

University of Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming

University of Wyoming did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #23. University of Wyoming is located in Laramie, Wyoming and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend UW is $11,491 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Full University of Wyoming General Journalism Report

Top 15% in overall quality

Iowa State University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Iowa State University is located in Ames, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 77 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

Iowa State also claimed a top spot on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State University is $14,161 for bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about General Journalism at Iowa State University

Top 25% in overall quality

University of Minnesota - Duluth did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #25. UMN Duluth is located in Duluth, Minnesota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $12,438 for bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UMN Duluth.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Journalism at UMN Duluth

Rest of the Best 37 in Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k

Not only did these schools make the top 37 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#26

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky
#29

University of North Texas

Denton, Texas
#30

Boston University

Boston, Massachusetts
#31

Lehman College

Bronx, New York
#32

Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts
#34

University of Richmond

University of Richmond, Virginia
#35

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona
#36

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Whitewater, Wisconsin
#37

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Jfurrer.

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