2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Journalism
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 12,206 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s” ranking, we looked at 274 colleges that offer 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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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” list to help you make the college decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree journalism students.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Journalism
Out of the 274 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Brigham Young University - Provo landed the #1 spot on the list. Brigham Young University - Provo is located in Provo, Utah and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 58 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $13,322 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students per year to attend Brigham Young University - Provo.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.
Out of the 274 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras is a public institution located in San Juan, . The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 42 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras is $11,714 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students.
Read more about Journalism at University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wilmington University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Wilmington University is a fairly large school located in New Castle, Delaware that handed out 15 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $14,683 for bachelor’s degree journalism students per year to attend Wilmington University.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North Dakota State University - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s list. North Dakota State University - Main Campus is a fairly large public school situated in Fargo, North Dakota. It awarded 8 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $16,584 for bachelor’s degree journalism students per year to attend North Dakota State University.
The school has an impressive 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 North Dakota State University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s. UW - Whitewater is located in Whitewater, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 46 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for UW - Whitewater is $15,249 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students.
Read more about Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater
South Dakota State University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Brookings, South Dakota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $19,252 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students per year to attend South Dakota State.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Wisconsin - River Falls did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #7. UW - River Falls is located in River Falls, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - River Falls is $13,748 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #8, University of Minnesota - Duluth did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s list. UMN Duluth is a fairly large school located in Duluth, Minnesota that handed out 20 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Duluth is $17,067 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. UW - Eau Claire is a public institution located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UW - Eau Claire is $16,020 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students.
Read more about Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school handed out 19 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is $15,463 for bachelor’s degree journalism students.
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Ship is located in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 48 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $22,054 for bachelor’s degree journalism students per year to attend Ship.
Read more about Journalism at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
University of North Texas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #12. UNT is a large school located in Denton, Texas that handed out 287 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,086 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students per year to attend University of North Texas.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
University of Nebraska at Kearney did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #13. University of Nebraska at Kearney is located in Kearney, Nebraska and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend UNK is $16,017 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students.
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%.
Read full report on Journalism at University of Nebraska at Kearney
Iowa State University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in Ames, Iowa, and it awarded 77 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Iowa State also did well on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State University is $15,496 for bachelor’s degree journalism students.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
University of Central Arkansas landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Conway, Arkansas, this fairly large public school handed out 20 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UCA is $15,376 for bachelor’s degree journalism students.
Read more about Journalism at University of Central Arkansas
Illinois State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 33 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Illinois State is $20,895 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Northern Illinois University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 28 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $18,259 for bachelor’s degree journalism students per year to attend NIU.
Read full report on Journalism at Northern Illinois University
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of Oklahoma is a large public school situated in Norman, Oklahoma. It awarded 237 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
University of Oklahoma excels when it comes to journalism quality. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend University of Oklahoma is $21,145 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism 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 student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Wyoming landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of Wyoming is a fairly large public school situated in Laramie, Wyoming. It awarded 11 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UW is $12,159 for bachelor’s degree journalism students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Florida did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #20. This large school is located in Gainesville, Florida, and it awarded 130 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
UF did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $6,302 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students per year to attend UF.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Angelo State University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in San Angelo, Texas, this fairly large public school handed out 19 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Angelo State University is $13,819 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students.
Georgia Southern University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #22. Statesboro, Georgia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 33 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Georgia Southern University is $15,536 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students.
Read full report on Journalism at Georgia Southern University
With a ranking of #23, University of Central Oklahoma did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s list. UCO is located in Edmond, Oklahoma and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 54 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend UCO is $16,562 for Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students.
Read more about Journalism at University of Central Oklahoma
University of Kansas landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of Kansas is a large public school situated in Lawrence, Kansas. It awarded 243 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
KU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Kansas is $18,918 for bachelor’s degree journalism students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Missouri - Columbia ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Mizzou is located in Columbia, Missouri and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 451 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree journalism students list, Mizzou has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Missouri - Columbia is $16,001 for bachelor’s degree journalism students.
The low 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Rest of the Best 42 in Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s
Not only did these schools make the top 42 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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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.
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- Credit for the banner image above goes to Jfurrer.
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