by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 in the Far Western US Region” 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.
Across the Far Western US region, there were 2,197 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,202 and $21,567 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,634 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,720 and $23,024 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Far Western US Region” ranking, we looked at 41 colleges that offer a degree in journalism. That schools that top this list have a program in journalism in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
The journalism school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Far Western US Region”.
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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Far Western US Region”.
Out of the 41 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Nevada - Reno landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Reno, Nevada, this large public school handed out 124 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students 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%.
Out of the 41 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Oregon landed the #2 spot on the list. UO is a large school located in Eugene, Oregon that handed out 137 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Far Western US Region list. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school handed out 170 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Out of the 41 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Washington University landed the #4 spot on the list. Bellingham, Washington is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 59 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Far Western US Region list. California State University - Northridge is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 161 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%.
California State University - Fresno ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Far Western US Region list. Fresno State is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 85 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large public school situated in San Luis Obispo, California. It awarded 80 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Biola University ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Far Western US Region list. Biola University is located in La Mirada, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Whitworth University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Whitworth University is located in Spokane, Washington and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #10, Chapman University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Far Western US Region list. Chapman University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Orange, California. It awarded 31 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Gonzaga University ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Far Western US Region list. Spokane, Washington is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 24 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #12, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Far Western US Region list. Chico State is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 49 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Journalism at California State University - Chico
California State University - Long Beach came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school awarded 109 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
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 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%.
Read full report on Journalism at California State University - Long Beach
Loyola Marymount University ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Far Western US Region list. Loyola Marymount University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 29 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
With a ranking of #15, Humboldt State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Far Western US Region list. Humboldt State University is a public institution located in Arcata, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Washington State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Pullman, Washington, this large public school awarded 70 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%.
San Francisco State University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 61 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Journalism at San Francisco State University
University of Alaska Anchorage came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Anchorage, Alaska is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 16 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Mount Saint Mary’s University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #19. This small school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.
With a ranking of #20, Point Loma Nazarene University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Far Western US Region list. This small school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 7 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%.
San Jose State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #21. San Jose State University is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
California State University - Sacramento ranked #22 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Far Western US Region list. Sac State is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 California State University - Sacramento
California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Carson, California, this fairly large public school awarded 21 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Dominguez Hills Journalism Report
University of Southern California came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. USC is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 79 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
