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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Journalism (With Aid)

246 Ranked Colleges
10,658 Degrees Awarded
$11,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Getting Aid

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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.

For this year’s “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 246 colleges that offer 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the general journalism program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. 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 Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Journalism (With Aid)

#1

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida
#8 in overall quality

Out of the 246 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the #1 spot on the list. UF is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 130 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UF, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $6,302 for bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid per year to attend UF.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Journalism at UF

#2

Baruch College

New York, New York

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Baruch College. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. 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 College is $3,562 for bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

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

#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school handed out 233 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison also took the #4 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Madison is $17,708 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UW - Madison General Journalism Report

#4

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina
#20 in overall quality

Out of the 246 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #4 spot on the list. UNC Chapel Hill is a large public school situated in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It awarded 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 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $12,352 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.

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 1.9% 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%.

Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill General Journalism Report

Top 15% in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 40 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle also claimed a top spot on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $13,297 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The 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 more about General Journalism at UW Seattle

#6

Brooklyn College

Brooklyn, New York

Brooklyn College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. This fairly large school is located in Brooklyn, New York, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Brooklyn College is $2,683 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.

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%.

Read full report on General Journalism at Brooklyn College

California State University - Fresno landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 113 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $5,464 for bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%.

Full California State University - Fresno General Journalism Report

#8

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#19 in overall quality

Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Bloomington, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 142 students in 2019-2020.

IU Bloomington not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Bloomington is $13,253 for bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

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

Read more about General Journalism at Indiana University - Bloomington

#18 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 59 students in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #18 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $15,880 for bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid per year to attend UIUC.

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 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

#10

Lehman College

Bronx, New York

Lehman College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. Lehman College is a fairly large school located in Bronx, New York that handed out 22 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Lehman is $1,814 for bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

Read more about General Journalism at Lehman

#5 in overall quality

The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. The University of Texas at Austin is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 172 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid list, UT Austin has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $18,023 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid per year to attend The University of Texas at Austin.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Journalism at The University of Texas at Austin

With a ranking of #12, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Carson, California, this fairly large public school awarded 17 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUDH is $4,215 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.

Full CSUDH General Journalism Report

#13

University of Central Florida

Orlando, Florida

University of Central Florida landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Central Florida is located in Orlando, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 49 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $10,274 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid per year to attend University of Central Florida.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Full UCF General Journalism Report

California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 101 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,622 for bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Journalism at California State University - Long Beach

California State University - Northridge landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Northridge is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 134 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $8,414 for bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Journalism at CSUN

#7 in overall quality

University of Missouri - Columbia came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid 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 $16,001 for bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid per year to attend Mizzou.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, 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 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Journalism at University of Missouri - Columbia

#17

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #17, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UMN Twin Cities is a public institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 277 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid list, UMN Twin Cities has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $17,740 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities General Journalism Report

Top 25% in overall quality

Brigham Young University - Provo came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Brigham Young University - Provo is a private not-for-profit institution located in Provo, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend BYU is $13,322 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 92%.

Full Brigham Young University - Provo General Journalism Report

#19

West Virginia University

Morgantown, West Virginia
Top 25% in overall quality

With a ranking of #19, West Virginia University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. West Virginia University is a large school located in Morgantown, West Virginia that handed out 180 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,983 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid per year to attend West Virginia University.

Full WVU General Journalism Report

#20

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Whitewater, Wisconsin
Top 25% in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. UW - Whitewater is a fairly large public school situated in Whitewater, Wisconsin. It awarded 46 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is $15,249 for bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

Read more about General Journalism at UW - Whitewater

#21

University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, Maryland
#9 in overall quality

University of Maryland - College Park came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in College Park, Maryland, this large public school awarded 133 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid list, UMCP has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UMCP is $19,045 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.

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

Read full report on General Journalism at University of Maryland - College Park

#22

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia
#16 in overall quality

University of Georgia did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #22. University of Georgia is a public institution located in Athens, Georgia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 159 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UGA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $13,649 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid per year to attend University of Georgia.

The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about General Journalism at University of Georgia

#23

University of North Texas

Denton, Texas
Top 25% in overall quality

With a ranking of #23, University of North Texas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UNT is a public institution located in Denton, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 236 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UNT is $15,086 for bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UNT General Journalism Report

#24

Appalachian State University

Boone, North Carolina

Appalachian State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #24. Boone, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 33 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Appalachian State University is $13,920 for bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low 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%.

Full Appalachian State General Journalism Report

#25

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. SDSU is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 133 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $14,788 for bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.

Full San Diego State University General Journalism Report

Rest of the Best 37 in Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

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
#27

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa
#28

University of Mississippi

University, Mississippi
#31

Rutgers University - New Brunswick

New Brunswick, New Jersey
#32

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#33

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana
#34

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Eau Claire, Wisconsin
#35

Indiana University - Southeast

New Albany, Indiana
#37

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

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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