2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” 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 Far Western US region, there were 2,183 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,977 and $21,822 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,554 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking looked at 36 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in journalism. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great journalism programs and 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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More Ways to Rank Journalism Schools
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 Far Western US Region” list to help you make the college decision.
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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Journalism in the Far Western US Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region. California State University - Fresno is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 113 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students list, Fresno State has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $5,464 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students per year to attend Fresno State.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Out of the 36 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #2 spot on the list. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 101 students in 2019-2020.
CSULB also made our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #17. It costs about $9,622 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students per year to attend CSULB.
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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 36 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Chico landed the #4 spot on the list. Chico State is a fairly large school located in Chico, California that handed out 68 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
Chico State also took the #16 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Chico State is $15,017 for far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Journalism at California State University - Chico
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school handed out 134 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.
CSUN also made our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #23. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $8,414 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students.
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%.
With a ranking of #6, University of Nevada - Reno did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. University of Nevada - Reno is a public institution located in Reno, Nevada. The school has a large population, and it awarded 106 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UNR also took the #7 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UNR is $15,081 for far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students.
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 74 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $21,595 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students per year to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo.
The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #8. San Francisco State University is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 54 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students list, SFSU has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $15,113 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students.
San Jose State University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. San Jose State is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 27 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
San Jose State also took the #15 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $14,928 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students.
The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 86%.
Western Washington University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #10. This fairly large school is located in Bellingham, Washington, and it awarded 77 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
WWU also took the #12 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for WWU is $16,529 for far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students.
The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.
San Diego State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. SDSU is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 133 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students list, SDSU has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $14,788 for far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Washington State University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Washington State University is a public institution located in Pullman, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 54 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students list, Wazzu has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Wazzu is $16,358 for far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Central Washington University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Ellensburg, Washington, this fairly large public school awarded 11 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.
CWU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Central Washington University is $15,397 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students.
California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. CSUDH is a public institution located in Carson, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $4,215 for far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students per year to attend CSUDH.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Sacramento ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school awarded 39 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Sac State is $9,979 for far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Sacramento Journalism Report
With a ranking of #16, University of Alaska Anchorage did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. This fairly large school is located in Anchorage, Alaska, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UAA is $12,995 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students.
With a ranking of #17, Eastern Washington University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. This fairly large school is located in Cheney, Washington, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $12,607 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students per year to attend Eastern Washington University.
With a ranking of #18, University of Alaska Fairbanks did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. University of Alaska Fairbanks is a public institution located in Fairbanks, Alaska. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Alaska Fairbanks is $10,333 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students.
Read full report on Journalism at University of Alaska Fairbanks
With a ranking of #19, Point Loma Nazarene University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Point Loma Nazarene University is a small school located in San Diego, California that handed out 13 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
PLNU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for PLNU is $33,044 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Humboldt State University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Arcata, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 37 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Humboldt State University is $14,692 for far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students.
California Baptist University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #21. Cal Baptist is a fairly large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 12 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students list, Cal Baptist has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $24,707 for far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students per year to attend California Baptist University.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Journalism at California Baptist University
With a ranking of #22, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school handed out 40 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students list, UW Seattle has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $13,297 for far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Read full report on Journalism at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Pacific Union College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #23. PUC is located in Angwin, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Pacific Union College is $21,835 for far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students.
University of Oregon ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. University of Oregon is a large public school situated in Eugene, Oregon. It awarded 128 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.
UO also made our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend UO is $16,461 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Hawaii at Manoa landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Honolulu, Hawaii, this fairly large public school handed out 10 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree journalism students list, UH Manoa has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Hawaii at Manoa is $15,030 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students.
The low 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%.
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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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