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2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

20 Ranked Colleges
994 Degrees Awarded
$20,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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

Across California, there were 1,571 general journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 994 general journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 20 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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 in California For Those Getting Aid”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 in California For Those Getting Aid

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

Top 20 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Journalism in California (With Aid)

#11 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Fresno State is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 113 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid list, Fresno State has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $5,464 for california bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Journalism at California State University - Fresno

#18 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Dominguez Hills is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

CSUDH did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $4,215 for california bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid per year to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills.

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 California State University - Dominguez Hills General Journalism Report

#9 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Long Beach is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 101 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,622 for california bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid per year to attend CSULB.

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%. 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 California State University - Long Beach

#13 in overall quality

Out of the 20 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Northridge landed the #4 spot on the list. CSUN is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 134 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUN, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $8,414 for California Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.

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 more about General Journalism at CSUN

#5

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego State University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. San Diego State University 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.

SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, 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 89%.

Read full report on General Journalism at San Diego State University

#6

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#10 in overall quality

San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 54 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

SFSU also made our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $15,113 for california bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid per year to attend San Francisco State University.

Read more about General Journalism at SFSU

#2 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 74 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid list, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $21,595 for california bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

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 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo General Journalism Report

#15 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State also made our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $9,979 for California Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Journalism at Sac State

#9

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. San Jose State University is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 27 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid list, San Jose State has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,928 for California Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid per year to attend San Jose State University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on General Journalism at San Jose State University

#8 in overall quality

California State University - Chico ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Chico, California, and it awarded 68 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Chico State, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,017 for California Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid per year to attend California State University - Chico.

The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.

Full Chico State General Journalism Report

#11

Humboldt State University

Arcata, California
#19 in overall quality

Humboldt State University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Humboldt State University is a public institution located in Arcata, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Humboldt State University also made our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #19. The estimated yearly cost for Humboldt State University is $14,692 for california bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

Full Humboldt State University General Journalism Report

#17 in overall quality

The University of Arizona Global Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 43 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

UAGC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UAGC is $20,510 for california bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

Read more about General Journalism at UAGC

#13

California Baptist University

Riverside, California
#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, California Baptist University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California Baptist University is a fairly large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 12 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Baptist also took the #14 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $24,707 for california bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid per year to attend California Baptist University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal Baptist General Journalism Report

#14

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 77 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid list, USC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $29,528 for california bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid per year to attend University of Southern California.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%. 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 full report on General Journalism at University of Southern California

#15

Point Loma Nazarene University

San Diego, California
#5 in overall quality

Point Loma Nazarene University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. PLNU is a small school located in San Diego, California that handed out 7 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

PLNU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Point Loma Nazarene University is $33,044 for California 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%.

Read full report on General Journalism at PLNU

#16

University of La Verne

La Verne, California
#16 in overall quality

University of La Verne came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in La Verne, California, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at ULV, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of La Verne is $25,780 for california bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Journalism at University of La Verne

#17

Biola University

La Mirada, California
#12 in overall quality

Biola University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. Biola University is located in La Mirada, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 27 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Biola, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Biola University is $31,859 for california bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

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 more about General Journalism at Biola

#18

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

Loyola Marymount University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Loyola Marymount University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 7 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Loyola Marymount, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $42,861 for california bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid per year to attend Loyola Marymount.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 more about General Journalism at Loyola Marymount

#19

Pepperdine University

Malibu, California
#4 in overall quality

Pepperdine University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. This medium-sized school is located in Malibu, California, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Pepperdine also took the #4 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $36,996 for california bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid per year to attend Pepperdine University.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Journalism at Pepperdine

#20

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California
#20 in overall quality

Academy of Art University landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Academy of Art University is located in San Francisco, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

Academy of Art University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Academy of Art University is $34,145 for California Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.

Read full report on General Journalism at Academy of Art University

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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

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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