2024 Best Value Colleges for General Journalism in the Southwest Region
17
Ranked Colleges
1,291
Degrees Awarded
$18,500
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.
General Journalism is the 69th most popular major in the country with 11,380 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
Across the Southwest region, there were 1,291 general journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking, we looked at 17 colleges that offer a degree 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.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region.
Top 17 Best Value Colleges for General Journalism in the Southwest Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Texas. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region. Denton, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 259 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNT, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best General Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of North Texas is $14,122 for Southwest Region Journalism students.
Full UNT General Journalism Report
Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is a public institution located in Norman, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 220 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region journalism students list, University of Oklahoma has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best General Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is $21,122 for Southwest Region Journalism students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about General Journalism at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Austin Community College District. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region list. Austin Community College District is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 22 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
Austin Community College District did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Austin Community College District is $7,224 for Southwest Region Journalism students.
Read more about General Journalism at Austin Community College District
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Houston. It ranked #4 on our 2024 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region list. UH is a large school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 84 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
UH not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $13,721 for Southwest Region Journalism students per year to attend University of Houston.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Journalism at University of Houston
Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeastern State University landed the #5 spot on the list. NSU is located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our southwest region journalism students list, NSU has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best General Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $10,094 for southwest region journalism students per year to attend Northeastern State University.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Journalism at Northeastern State University
University of New Mexico - Main Campus did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #6. This large school is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and it awarded 33 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
UNM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $14,424 for Southwest Region Journalism students per year to attend UNM.
Full UNM General Journalism Report
Texas Tech University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #7. Texas Tech University is a large school located in Lubbock, Texas that handed out 22 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region journalism students list, Texas Tech has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best General Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $16,194 for southwest region journalism students per year to attend Texas Tech University.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.
Read more about General Journalism at Texas Tech University
Northern Arizona University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Flagstaff, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 32 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region journalism students list, NAU has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best General Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend NAU is $14,308 for Southwest Region Journalism students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Journalism at NAU
Angelo State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in San Angelo, Texas, and it awarded 16 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Angelo State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Angelo State University is $13,184 for southwest region journalism students.
Read full report on General Journalism at Angelo State
The University of Texas at Austin came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 181 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
UT Austin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UT Austin is $18,350 for southwest region journalism students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, 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 96%.
Read full report on General Journalism at UT Austin
Texas State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region list. This large school is located in San Marcos, Texas, and it awarded 38 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Texas State also made our “Best General Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $14,887 for Southwest Region Journalism students per year to attend Texas State.
Read full report on General Journalism at Texas State University
University of Arizona ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region list. University of Arizona is a public institution located in Tucson, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 94 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Arizona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Arizona is $13,358 for Southwest Region Journalism students.
Full University of Arizona General Journalism Report
New Mexico State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #13. New Mexico State University - Main Campus is located in Las Cruces, New Mexico and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 37 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
NMSU Main Campus did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for New Mexico State University - Main Campus is $10,428 for southwest region journalism students.
Read full report on General Journalism at NMSU Main Campus
Texas Southern University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region list. Texas Southern University is a medium-sized public school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 22 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
TSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Texas Southern University is $17,914 for Southwest Region Journalism students.
Read full report on General Journalism at Texas Southern University
Baylor University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Baylor University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Waco, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 77 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region journalism students list, Baylor has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best General Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Baylor University is $37,309 for Southwest Region Journalism students.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Journalism at Baylor
Texas Christian University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #16. TCU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fort Worth, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 27 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at TCU, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best General Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend TCU is $39,942 for southwest region journalism students.
The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about General Journalism at Texas Christian University
Southern Methodist University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region list. SMU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Dallas, Texas. It awarded 52 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
SMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best General Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend SMU is $38,208 for Southwest Region Journalism students.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 Southern Methodist 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
- *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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