by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 13,552 people earned their degree in journalism, making the major the 69th most popular in the United States. 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.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 11,502 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,682 and $26,217 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major” ranking analyzed 380 colleges that offered a degree in journalism. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their journalism program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major” list to help you make the college decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree journalism students.
Out of the 380 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Rust College landed the #1 spot on the list. Rust College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Holly Springs, Mississippi. It awarded 17 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Out of the 380 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Bennett College landed the #2 spot on the list. Bennett is a small school located in Greensboro, North Carolina that handed out 5 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Patrick Henry College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Located in Purcellville, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
Out of the 380 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Emerson College landed the #4 spot on the list. Emerson is a medium-sized school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 114 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Out of the 380 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major that were part of this year’s ranking, The King’s College landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in New York, New York, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 9 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #6, Kentucky State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. KY State is located in Frankfort, Kentucky and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
Savannah State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking, coming in at #7. Savannah State University is a small public school situated in Savannah, Georgia. It awarded 42 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Universidad del Sagrado Corazon landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. Santurce, is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 47 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #9, Stillman College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Tuscaloosa, Alabama is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
Central State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking, coming in at #10. Central State University is a medium-sized school located in Wilberforce, Ohio that handed out 13 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Missouri - Columbia ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. This large school is located in Columbia, Missouri, and it awarded 428 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national 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.
Read more about Journalism at University of Missouri - Columbia
Hampton University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. Hampton University is a small school located in Hampton, Virginia that handed out 40 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Morgan State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking, coming in at #13. This medium-sized school is located in Baltimore, Maryland, and it awarded 61 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Georgia College & State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking, coming in at #14. Georgia College is located in Milledgeville, Georgia and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 75 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.
University of West Georgia came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. Located in Carrollton, Georgia, this fairly large public school handed out 117 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania is a medium-sized public school situated in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. It awarded 48 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking, coming in at #17. This large school is located in Norman, Oklahoma, and it awarded 261 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
University of Kansas did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking, coming in at #18. KU is a public institution located in Lawrence, Kansas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 237 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, 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.
Lincoln University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. This small school is located in Jefferson City, Missouri, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
North Greenville University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking, coming in at #20. This small school is located in Tigerville, South Carolina, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Olivet College ranked #21 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Olivet is a private not-for-profit institution located in Olivet, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Columbia College Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking, coming in at #22. Columbia College Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 43 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Samford University landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Birmingham, Alabama, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, 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%.
Purchase College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking, coming in at #24. Purchase College is located in Purchase, New York and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
St. Bonaventure University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. This small school is located in Saint Bonaventure, New York, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Colorado State University - Fort Collins | Fort Collins, CO |
| 52 | San Diego State University | San Diego, CA |
| 53 | Ohio University - Athens Campus | Athens, OH |
| 54 | Elon University | Elon, NC |
| 55 | Drury University | Springfield, MO |
| 56 | Texas Southern University | Houston, TX |
| 57 | Augustana College | Rock Island, IL |
| 58 | University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras | San Juan, PR |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
