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2023 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Journalism in California

22 Ranked Colleges
1,052 Degrees Awarded
$32,600 Avg Cost*
Schools for a Bachelor's Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 in California” ranking.

General Journalism is the 69th most popular major in the country with 11,380 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

Across California, there were 1,561 general journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,052 general journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,566 and $21,995 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California” ranking, we looked at 22 colleges that offer a degree in general journalism. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their general journalism program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California”.

Top 22 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Journalism in California

1
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

Out of the 22 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego State University landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 170 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad 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%.

Full SDSU General Journalism Report

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California list. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school awarded 161 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

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 California State University - Northridge

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California. California State University - Fresno is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 85 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read more about General Journalism at Fresno State

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large public school situated in San Luis Obispo, California. It awarded 80 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Journalism at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

5
Biola crest
Biola University
La Mirada, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Biola University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California list. Biola University is a medium-sized school located in La Mirada, California that handed out 16 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Biola University General Journalism Report

6

California State University - Chico ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California list. California State University - Chico is a fairly large public school situated in Chico, California. It awarded 49 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Journalism at Chico State

7

California State University - Long Beach landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California ranking. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school awarded 109 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full California State University - Long Beach General Journalism Report

8
Loyola Marymount crest
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #8, Loyola Marymount University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California list. Loyola Marymount University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 29 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Loyola Marymount University General Journalism Report

9
Humboldt State University crest
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California

Humboldt State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California ranking. Humboldt State University is a public institution located in Arcata, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Humboldt State University General Journalism Report

10
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California ranking. San Francisco State University is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 61 bachelors’s journalism degrees 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 more about General Journalism at SFSU

11
MSMU crest
Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, California

Mount Saint Mary’s University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California ranking, coming in at #11. Mount Saint Mary’s University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 5 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad 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 full report on General Journalism at Mount Saint Mary’s University

12
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California list. San Jose State University is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Journalism at San Jose State University

13

California State University - Sacramento ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California list. California State University - Sacramento is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, 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

14

California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California ranking, coming in at #14. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a fairly large school located in Carson, California that handed out 21 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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 CSUDH

15
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #15, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California list. University of Southern California is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 77 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, 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 91%.

Read more about General Journalism at University of Southern California

16

17
Cal Baptist crest
California Baptist University
Riverside, California

California Baptist University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California ranking. This fairly large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 full report on General Journalism at Cal Baptist

18
Pepperdine crest
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California

Pepperdine University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California ranking. Located in Malibu, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 9 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%.

Full Pepperdine University General Journalism Report

19
Academy of Art University crest
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, California

Academy of Art University ranked #19 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California list. Located in San Francisco, California, this medium-sized private for-profit school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students 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%.

Full Academy of Art University General Journalism Report

20

With a ranking of #20, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 10 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students 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 California State University - Los Angeles General Journalism Report

21
ULV crest
University of La Verne
La Verne, California

University of La Verne came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California ranking. ULV is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in La Verne, California. It awarded 2 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full ULV General Journalism Report

22

With a ranking of #22, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 0 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UC Irvine General Journalism Report

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