2023 Best Value Colleges for Journalism in California (With Aid)
21
Ranked Colleges
1,640
Degrees Awarded
$20,400
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
Journalism is the 69th most popular major in the country with 13,552 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 California, there were 1,640 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,623 and $21,695 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 21 colleges that offer a degree in journalism. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great journalism programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the journalism program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for california journalism students with aid.
Top 21 Best Value Colleges for Journalism in California (With Aid)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Fresno is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 85 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Fresno State also took the #11 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,230 for california journalism students with aid per year to attend Fresno State.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read full report on Journalism at California State University - Fresno
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 109 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california journalism students with aid list, CSULB has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $10,054 for California Journalism students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, 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 89%.
Full CSULB Journalism Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Diego State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 170 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
SDSU also took the #2 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $13,845 for California Journalism students with aid per year to attend SDSU.
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%.
Read more about Journalism at SDSU
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. CSUN is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 161 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
CSUN also took the #15 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $8,523 for California Journalism students with aid.
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%.
Read more about Journalism at CSUN
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Sacramento. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Sacramento is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 41 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Sac State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Journalism Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $11,178 for california journalism students with aid.
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 Journalism at Sac State
California State University - Los Angeles landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 10 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal State LA also took the #20 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $3,302 for California Journalism students with aid.
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 Journalism Report
University of California - Irvine landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid 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 #4 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $12,209 for California Journalism students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Read more about Journalism at UC Irvine
California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a fairly large school located in Carson, California that handed out 21 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUDH, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSUDH is $4,026 for california journalism students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Journalism at California State University - Dominguez Hills
With a ranking of #9, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. San Jose State is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 52 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
San Jose State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Journalism Schools in California” list. It costs about $16,542 for California Journalism students with aid per year to attend San Jose State University.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, 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 86%.
Read full report on Journalism at San Jose State University
California State University - Chico landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Chico is located in Chico, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 49 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
Chico State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Journalism Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Chico State is $16,218 for California Journalism students with aid.
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 Journalism at Chico State
San Francisco State University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school handed out 61 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SFSU is $14,459 for california journalism students with aid.
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%.
Full San Francisco State University Journalism Report
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 80 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $20,677 for california journalism students with aid per year to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, 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 94%.
Read full report on Journalism at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
With a ranking of #14, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. USC is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 115 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
USC also made our “Best Journalism Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $32,569 for california journalism students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read full report on Journalism at University of Southern California
Humboldt State University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Humboldt State University is a public institution located in Arcata, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 17 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Humboldt State University also took the #21 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Humboldt State University is $14,956 for California Journalism students with aid.
Full Humboldt State University Journalism Report
California Baptist University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Cal Baptist is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 12 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Baptist, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Baptist is $26,719 for California Journalism students with aid.
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%.
Full Cal Baptist Journalism Report
Academy of Art University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Academy of Art University is a private for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 13 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Academy of Art University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Journalism Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Academy of Art University is $36,143 for california journalism students with aid.
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%.
Read more about Journalism at Academy of Art University
Biola University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Biola is located in La Mirada, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our california journalism students with aid list, Biola has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Biola University is $33,269 for california journalism students with aid.
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 Journalism Report
Loyola Marymount University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. This fairly large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 29 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Loyola Marymount also made our “Best Journalism Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $44,467 for california journalism students with aid per year to attend Loyola Marymount University.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 Loyola Marymount University Journalism Report
Chapman University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. Chapman is a private not-for-profit institution located in Orange, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 31 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Chapman also took the #8 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Chapman is $44,198 for california journalism students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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%.
Full Chapman University Journalism Report
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