2026 Best Value Journalism Schools in Kansas
[Journalism](/majors/communication-journalism-media/journalism/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 7 schools to find the best return on investment for journalism students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Journalism Schools in Kansas
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the journalism degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Journalism Schools
For return on investment in journalism, no school beat University Of Kansas this year. University Of Kansas is a very large public school located in the city of Lawrence. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $12,102, while out-of-state students pay about $30,432. Typical student debt for journalism graduates is $22,811. Journalism graduates of University Of Kansas earn a median of $54,601 early in their careers. Set against $22,811 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. University Of Kansas admits about 94% of applicants.
Students looking for strong value in journalism will find it at Kansas State University, which ranked #2. Set in the city of Manhattan, Kansas State University is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $11,221, with out-of-state students paying around $28,568. Students borrow a median of $21,500 to complete the journalism program here. Early-career journalism graduates make about $37,484. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 82% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 7 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
