2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2019-2020, 14,528 people earned their degree in journalism, making the major the 62nd most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, journalism graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $31,042 and had an average of $24,628 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Plains States region, there were 1,830 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,850 and $22,444 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,631 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,786 and $25,576 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 24 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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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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 “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.
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Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.
Top 24 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Journalism in the Plains States Region (With Aid)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Missouri - Columbia. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid. Located in Columbia, Missouri, this large public school handed out 451 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid list, Mizzou has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Mizzou is $16,001 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.
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 student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, 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 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 277 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid list, UMN Twin Cities has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $17,740 for plains states region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.
The low 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read more about Journalism at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Iowa. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid. University of Iowa is located in Iowa City, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 146 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
Iowa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $19,145 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid per year to attend Iowa.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The low 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid. Located in Ames, Iowa, this large public school awarded 77 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa State, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State is $15,496 for plains states region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Kansas. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Lawrence, Kansas, and it awarded 243 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at KU, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $18,918 for plains states region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid per year to attend University of Kansas.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
University of Nebraska - Lincoln ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. UNL is a large school located in Lincoln, Nebraska that handed out 88 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
UNL also made our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend UNL is $17,208 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Nebraska at Omaha landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Nebraska at Omaha is located in Omaha, Nebraska and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNOMAHA, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNOMAHA is $14,040 for plains states region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.
Read more about Journalism at University of Nebraska at Omaha
North Dakota State University - Main Campus landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. North Dakota State University is a fairly large public school situated in Fargo, North Dakota. It awarded 8 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at North Dakota State University, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend North Dakota State University - Main Campus is $16,584 for plains states region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Minnesota - Duluth did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. Duluth, Minnesota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid list, UMN Duluth has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $17,067 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid per year to attend University of Minnesota - Duluth.
The low 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%.
Kansas State University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. K -State is a large school located in Manhattan, Kansas that handed out 109 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
K -State also took the #11 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Kansas State University is $18,285 for plains states region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Nebraska at Kearney landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Kearney, Nebraska, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
UNK also took the #16 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNK is $16,017 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.
The low 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%.
South Dakota State University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. South Dakota State University is a public institution located in Brookings, South Dakota. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
South Dakota State also took the #15 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for South Dakota State is $19,252 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Wichita State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. WSU is a public institution located in Wichita, Kansas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
WSU also took the #23 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for WSU is $14,382 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.
Minnesota State University - Moorhead ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Moorhead, Minnesota, this medium-sized public school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid list, MSU Moorhead has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for MSU Moorhead is $16,893 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Journalism at Minnesota State University - Moorhead
Missouri State University - Springfield landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Springfield, Missouri is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.
Missouri State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Missouri State University - Springfield is $16,725 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.
Read more about Journalism at Missouri State University - Springfield
Concordia College at Moorhead landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Concordia College at Moorhead is a private not-for-profit institution located in Moorhead, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Concordia College Moorhead also took the #10 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Concordia College Moorhead is $23,029 for plains states region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Lindenwood University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Saint Charles, Missouri, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
Lindenwood University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Lindenwood University is $17,491 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.
The low 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%.
Drury University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Springfield, Missouri is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.
Drury University also took the #24 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Drury University is $18,419 for plains states region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.
Drake University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Des Moines, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 31 students in 2019-2020.
Drake also made our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend Drake is $29,432 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Evangel University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Evangel University is located in Springfield, Missouri and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
Evangel did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Evangel University is $22,837 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Saint Ambrose University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Davenport, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at St. Ambrose University, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Saint Ambrose University is $26,204 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.
University of St Thomas Minnesota did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #22. Saint Paul, Minnesota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UST MN, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $29,155 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid per year to attend University of St Thomas Minnesota.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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 full report on Journalism at University of St Thomas Minnesota
With a ranking of #23, Bethel University Minnesota did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Bethel University Minnesota is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Bethel University Minnesota not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Bethel University Minnesota is $25,191 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Creighton University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Creighton is a private not-for-profit institution located in Omaha, Nebraska. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Creighton also took the #8 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $31,400 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid per year to attend Creighton.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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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
Footnotes
- *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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