by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 11,380 people earned their degree in general journalism, making the major the 69th most popular in the United States.
For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major” ranking, we looked at 447 colleges that offer a degree in general journalism. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in general journalism.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major” list to help you make the college decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major”.
Out of the 447 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Rust College landed the #1 spot on the list. Holly Springs, Mississippi is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 17 students in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Patrick Henry College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Located in Purcellville, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 6 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
Out of the 447 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Emerson College landed the #3 spot on the list. Emerson College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 130 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend St. Bonaventure University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major. This small school is located in Saint Bonaventure, New York, and it awarded 55 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, 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 86%.
Read more about General Journalism at St. Bonaventure University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Savannah State University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major. Located in Savannah, Georgia, this small public school awarded 42 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on General Journalism at Savannah State University
Universidad del Sagrado Corazon ranked #6 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. This small school is located in Santurce, , and it awarded 47 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 Universidad del Sagrado Corazon
University of Missouri - Columbia ranked #7 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Mizzou is located in Columbia, Missouri and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 488 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #8, Stillman College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Stillman College is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
With a ranking of #9, Hampton University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Hampton, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 40 students in 2020-2021.
Georgia College & State University ranked #10 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Georgia College & State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Milledgeville, Georgia. It awarded 75 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%.
University of West Georgia landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. Located in Carrollton, Georgia, this fairly large public school awarded 117 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on General Journalism at University of West Georgia
With a ranking of #12, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Located in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, this medium-sized public school awarded 48 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%.
University of Kansas came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. Located in Lawrence, Kansas, this large public school awarded 257 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad 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%.
With a ranking of #14, Lincoln University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. LU Missouri is a public institution located in Jefferson City, Missouri. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on General Journalism at Lincoln University
Olivet College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking, coming in at #15. Olivet, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
Samford University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Birmingham, Alabama, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 52 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on General Journalism at Samford University
With a ranking of #17, Purchase College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Purchase College is located in Purchase, New York and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus ranked #18 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. University of Oklahoma is a public institution located in Norman, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 220 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.
Salem Community College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. Located in Carneys Point, New Jersey, this small public school handed out 6 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
West Virginia University landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. Morgantown, West Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 176 students in 2020-2021.
University of Nevada - Reno came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. Reno, Nevada is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 136 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Journalism at University of Nevada - Reno
Flagler College - St Augustine came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. Flagler St. Augustine is located in Saint Augustine, Florida and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 20 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
Read more about General Journalism at Flagler College - St Augustine
Columbia College Chicago ranked #23 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Columbia College Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 34 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
University of North Texas did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Denton, Texas, this large public school awarded 259 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Franklin College ranked #25 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. This small school is located in Franklin, Indiana, and it awarded 6 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Augustana College | Rock Island, IL |
| 52 | Baylor University | Waco, TX |
| 53 | Western Washington University | Bellingham, WA |
| 54 | California State University - Northridge | Northridge, CA |
| 55 | California State University - Fresno | Fresno, CA |
| 56 | The University of Tennessee - Knoxville | Knoxville, TN |
| 57 | Kansas State University | Manhattan, KS |
| 58 | California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo | San Luis Obispo, CA |
| 59 | Indiana University - Southeast | New Albany, IN |
| 60 | Loyola University New Orleans | New Orleans, LA |
| 61 | University of Richmond | University of Richmond, VA |
| 62 | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | Pine Bluff, AR |
| 63 | Southern Methodist University | Dallas, TX |
| 64 | Edinboro University of Pennsylvania | Edinboro, PA |
| 65 | University of Memphis | Memphis, TN |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | University of Wisconsin - Madison | Madison, WI |
| 67 | Marshall University | Huntington, WV |
| 68 | University of Maryland - College Park | College Park, MD |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
