2026 Best Value General Journalism Schools in Colorado

[General Journalism](/majors/communication-journalism-media/journalism/general-journalism/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 10 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for general journalism students.
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2026 Best Value General Journalism Schools in Colorado
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in general journalism, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value General Journalism Schools
For return on investment in general journalism, no school beat Metropolitan State College Of Denver this year. Metropolitan State College Of Denver is a very large public school located in the city of Denver. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $11,124, with out-of-state students paying around $30,684. Typical student debt for general journalism graduates is $24,500. Soon after graduation, general journalism degree recipients from Metropolitan State College Of Denver generally make around $37,644. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 99% of applicants are accepted.
University Of Northern Colorado came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value general journalism schools. Set in the city of Greeley, University Of Northern Colorado is a large public institution. Students from in state pay about $11,901 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $26,979. Students borrow a median of $21,750 to complete the general journalism program here. General Journalism graduates of University Of Northern Colorado earn a median of $30,216 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $21,750 median debt. University Of Northern Colorado admits about 86% of applicants.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Colorado State University Fort Collins earned it the #3 place for general journalism. Set in the city of Fort Collins, Colorado State University Fort Collins is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $13,373, with out-of-state students paying around $35,061. Typical student debt for general journalism graduates is $22,500. Soon after graduation, general journalism degree recipients from Colorado State University Fort Collins generally make around $36,352. Set against $22,500 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 88% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at University Of Colorado Boulder earned it the #4 place for general journalism. Located in the city of Boulder, University Of Colorado Boulder is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $15,214 in tuition and fees, compared with $42,970 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $15,750 to complete the general journalism program here. General Journalism graduates of University Of Colorado Boulder earn a median of $34,022 early in their careers. Set against $15,750 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 78% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at University Of Denver earned it the #5 place for general journalism. Set in the city of Denver, University Of Denver is a large private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $61,398. Typical student debt for general journalism graduates is $22,534. Soon after graduation, general journalism degree recipients from University Of Denver generally make around $56,999. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 78%.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 10 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 5 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.