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2023 Best Value Colleges for Journalism (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region

32 Ranked Colleges
2,197 Degrees Awarded
$10,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k

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 “Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 13,552 people earned their degree in journalism, making the major the 69th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, journalism graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $32,953 and had an average of $23,734 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 2,197 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,202 and $21,567 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 32 colleges that offered a degree in journalism. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent journalism programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the journalism program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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The journalism school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k”.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Journalism (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. UW Seattle is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 39 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

UW Seattle not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $6,399 for Far Western US Region Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, 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 Journalism at UW Seattle

2

Out of the 32 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #2 spot on the list. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 85 students in 2020-2021.

Fresno State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $4,655 for far western us region journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Journalism at Fresno State

3
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 115 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region journalism students whose families make $30-$48k list, USC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for USC is $17,345 for Far Western US Region Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full University of Southern California Journalism Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 109 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region journalism students whose families make $30-$48k list, CSULB has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $7,573 for Far Western US Region Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Journalism at California State University - Long Beach

5
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. SDSU is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 170 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $9,274 for Far Western US Region Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Read full report on Journalism at San Diego State University

6

University of California - Irvine landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 32 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $8,449 for Far Western US Region Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Journalism at UC Irvine

7
WWU crest
Western Washington University
Bellingham, Washington

Western Washington University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Bellingham, Washington is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 59 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region journalism students whose families make $30-$48k list, WWU has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Western Washington University is $11,357 for Far Western US Region Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Journalism at Western Washington University

8

California State University - Los Angeles ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $2,701 for Far Western US Region Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Journalism at California State University - Los Angeles

9

California State University - Sacramento came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school handed out 41 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Sac State, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $9,055 for Far Western US Region Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Sacramento Journalism Report

10

California State University - Northridge landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. CSUN is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 161 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUN did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $7,103 for far western us region journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Northridge Journalism Report

11
San Diego Mesa College crest
San Diego Mesa College
San Diego, California

San Diego Mesa College landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. San Diego Mesa College is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 7 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend San Diego Mesa College is $5,543 for far western us region journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full San Diego Mesa College Journalism Report

12

California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 21 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUDH is $3,329 for Far Western US Region Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 Journalism at California State University - Dominguez Hills

13
Wazzu crest
Washington State University
Pullman, Washington

Washington State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Washington State University is a large school located in Pullman, Washington that handed out 70 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region journalism students whose families make $30-$48k list, Wazzu has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Wazzu is $8,719 for Far Western US Region Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 more about Journalism at Wazzu

14
UO crest
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon

University of Oregon did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #14. University of Oregon is a large school located in Eugene, Oregon that handed out 148 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

UO also made our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for UO is $13,709 for far western us region journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Journalism at University of Oregon

15
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #15. San Jose State University is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 52 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

San Jose State also took the #11 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $13,378 for Far Western US Region Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full San Jose State Journalism Report

16

University of Nevada - Reno landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Reno, Nevada, and it awarded 136 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region journalism students whose families make $30-$48k list, UNR has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UNR is $12,399 for far western us region journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Nevada - Reno Journalism Report

17

California State University - Chico came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Chico, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 49 students in 2020-2021.

Chico State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Chico is $13,040 for far western us region journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Chico State Journalism Report

18

With a ranking of #18, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 80 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also took the #6 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $13,194 for far western us region journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Journalism at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

19
CWU crest
Central Washington University
Ellensburg, Washington

With a ranking of #19, Central Washington University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Ellensburg, Washington, this fairly large public school handed out 9 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

CWU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $12,706 for Far Western US Region Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Central Washington University.

Read full report on Journalism at CWU

20
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #20. San Francisco State University is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 61 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region journalism students whose families make $30-$48k list, SFSU has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $11,862 for far western us region journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 Journalism at San Francisco State University

21

University of Hawaii at Manoa came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Hawaii at Manoa is located in Honolulu, Hawaii and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $12,172 for far western us region journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Hawaii at Manoa.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%.

Full University of Hawaii at Manoa Journalism Report

22

University of Alaska Anchorage did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #22. UAA is a public institution located in Anchorage, Alaska. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for UAA is $10,663 for far western us region journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

Read more about Journalism at University of Alaska Anchorage

23
Gonzaga crest
Gonzaga University
Spokane, Washington

Gonzaga University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Gonzaga University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Spokane, Washington. It awarded 24 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Gonzaga did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $24,906 for far western us region journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Gonzaga.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Journalism at Gonzaga University

24
Humboldt State University crest
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California

Humboldt State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #24. Humboldt State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Arcata, California. It awarded 17 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $12,298 for Far Western US Region Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Humboldt State University.

Read more about Journalism at Humboldt State University

25

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