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2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region

33 Ranked Colleges
1,420 Degrees Awarded
$15,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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

Across the Far Western US region, there were 2,035 general journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,420 general journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking looked at 33 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.

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. 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 the Far Western US Region”.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to 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 for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Journalism in the Far Western US Region

#18 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 the Far Western US Region. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 113 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Fresno State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $5,464 for far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students.

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 Fresno State General Journalism Report

#15 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region. CSULB 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $9,622 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.

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%. 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

#14 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Chico. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region. Chico, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 68 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students list, Chico State has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Chico is $15,017 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

#21 in overall quality

Out of the 33 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Northridge landed the #5 spot on the list. California State University - Northridge is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 134 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUN also made our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #21. The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $8,414 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 California State University - Northridge General Journalism Report

#6 in overall quality

University of Nevada - Reno came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of Nevada - Reno is a large public school situated in Reno, Nevada. It awarded 106 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

UNR also took the #6 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $15,081 for far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students per year to attend UNR.

Full University of Nevada - Reno General Journalism Report

#2 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 74 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $21,595 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students per year to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%.

Read more about General Journalism at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

#8

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#16 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school awarded 54 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

SFSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $15,113 for far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students.

Read full report on General Journalism at SFSU

#9

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#13 in overall quality

San Jose State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. San Jose State University is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 27 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students list, San Jose State has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $14,928 for far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students per year to attend San Jose State.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Journalism at San Jose State

#10

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington
#11 in overall quality

Western Washington University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #10. Bellingham, Washington is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 75 students in 2019-2020.

WWU also made our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for WWU is $16,529 for far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students.

The school has an impressive 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 WWU

#11

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#10 in overall quality

San Diego State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 133 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $14,788 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students.

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 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Journalism at San Diego State University

#12

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, Washington State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Wazzu is a large school located in Pullman, Washington that handed out 22 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students list, Wazzu has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $16,358 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students per year to attend Wazzu.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 Wazzu

#13

Central Washington University

Ellensburg, Washington
#20 in overall quality

Central Washington University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Ellensburg, Washington, this fairly large public school handed out 6 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students list, CWU has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $15,397 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students per year to attend Central Washington University.

Read full report on General Journalism at CWU

California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a public institution located in Carson, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $4,215 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students per year to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills.

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

#25 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 39 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Sac State, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $9,979 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students.

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 full report on General Journalism at California State University - Sacramento

#16

University of Alaska Anchorage

Anchorage, Alaska

University of Alaska Anchorage did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Anchorage, Alaska, this fairly large public school handed out 13 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Alaska Anchorage is $12,995 for far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students.

Read more about General Journalism at University of Alaska Anchorage

#17

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington

Eastern Washington University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Eastern Washington University is a fairly large school located in Cheney, Washington that handed out 9 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for EWU is $12,607 for far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students.

Full Eastern Washington University General Journalism Report

#18

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Fairbanks, Alaska

University of Alaska Fairbanks came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Fairbanks, Alaska is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Alaska Fairbanks is $10,333 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students.

Full University of Alaska Fairbanks General Journalism Report

#19

Point Loma Nazarene University

San Diego, California
#8 in overall quality

Point Loma Nazarene University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Point Loma Nazarene University is located in San Diego, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

PLNU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $33,044 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students per year to attend PLNU.

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 full report on General Journalism at PLNU

#20

Humboldt State University

Arcata, California

Humboldt State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #20. This medium-sized school is located in Arcata, California, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Humboldt State University is $14,692 for far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students.

Read more about General Journalism at Humboldt State University

#21

California Baptist University

Riverside, California
#22 in overall quality

With a ranking of #21, California Baptist University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region 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 made our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #22. It costs about $24,707 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students per year to attend Cal Baptist.

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 California Baptist University

#3 in overall quality

With a ranking of #22, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $13,297 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Journalism at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

#23

University of Oregon

Eugene, Oregon
#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #23, University of Oregon did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Eugene, Oregon, this large public school awarded 128 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students list, UO has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $16,461 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students per year to attend University of Oregon.

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 more about General Journalism at UO

#24

University of Hawaii at Manoa

Honolulu, Hawaii
#23 in overall quality

University of Hawaii at Manoa landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Honolulu, Hawaii is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UH Manoa, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $15,030 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students per year to attend University of Hawaii at Manoa.

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%.

Read more about General Journalism at University of Hawaii at Manoa

#25

George Fox University

Newberg, Oregon
#17 in overall quality

George Fox University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. GFU is a small school located in Newberg, Oregon that handed out 1 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

GFU also took the #17 spot in our “Best General Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $30,378 for far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students per year to attend George Fox University.

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%.

Read full report on General Journalism at George Fox 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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