by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Bachelor’s 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.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 9,906 general journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,682 and $26,217 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major” ranking, we looked at 334 colleges that offer a degree in general journalism. That schools that top this list have a program in general journalism in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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 for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major” list to help you make the college decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree journalism students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Rust College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major. Located in Holly Springs, Mississippi, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 17 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Patrick Henry College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Patrick Henry College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Purcellville, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Emerson College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. This medium-sized school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 114 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 334 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Savannah State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Savannah State University is located in Savannah, Georgia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 42 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
Out of the 334 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Universidad del Sagrado Corazon landed the #5 spot on the list. Universidad del Sagrado Corazon is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Santurce, . It awarded 47 bachelors’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%.
Full Universidad del Sagrado Corazon General Journalism Report
With a ranking of #6, Stillman College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Stillman College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Missouri - Columbia landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. Mizzou is a public institution located in Columbia, Missouri. The school has a large population, and it awarded 428 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Hampton University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. Hampton University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Hampton, Virginia. It awarded 40 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #9, Georgia College & State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Georgia College is a medium-sized public school situated in Milledgeville, Georgia. It awarded 75 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Journalism at Georgia College & State University
University of West Georgia came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. University of West Georgia is a fairly large public school situated in Carrollton, Georgia. It awarded 117 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. Located in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, this medium-sized public school handed out 48 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Kansas ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. University of Kansas is a public institution located in Lawrence, Kansas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 237 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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 freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Lincoln University ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. LU Missouri is a small public school situated in Jefferson City, Missouri. It awarded 10 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Olivet College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. This small school is located in Olivet, Michigan, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #15, Samford University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Birmingham, Alabama is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 52 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.
Purchase College ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. This small school is located in Purchase, New York, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. Located in Norman, Oklahoma, this large public school awarded 202 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read full report on General Journalism at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
West Virginia University ranked #18 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. WVU is located in Morgantown, West Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 170 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
With a ranking of #19, St. Bonaventure University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. St. Bonaventure University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Bonaventure, New York. It awarded 16 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, 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 undergraduate students.
Flagler College - St Augustine did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking, coming in at #20. Flagler College - St Augustine is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Augustine, Florida. The school has a small population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Columbia College Chicago came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. Columbia is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 34 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about General Journalism at Columbia College Chicago
With a ranking of #22, Franklin College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Franklin College is a small school located in Franklin, Indiana that handed out 6 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Nevada - Reno ranked #23 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. UNR is located in Reno, Nevada and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 124 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
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%.
Marymount Manhattan College ranked #24 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. New York, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Ithaca College ranked #25 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Ithaca is a medium-sized school located in Ithaca, New York that handed out 36 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.
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 | Quinnipiac University | Hamden, CT |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
