by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Pennsylvania” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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 Pennsylvania, there were 560 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,444 and $25,737 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 473 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,741 and $27,572 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Pennsylvania” ranking looked at 19 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Pennsylvania” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. 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 colleges and universities below are the best for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree journalism students.
Out of the 19 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania landed the #1 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, and 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Scranton. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Pennsylvania. Scranton, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Point Park University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Pennsylvania. Point Park is a small school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that handed out 14 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Pennsylvania. Edinboro is a small school located in Edinboro, Pennsylvania that handed out 15 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lehigh University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Pennsylvania. This medium-sized school is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Susquehanna University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Pennsylvania ranking, coming in at #6. Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania 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.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Temple University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Pennsylvania ranking. Temple is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 98 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Pennsylvania list. This medium-sized school is located in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Journalism at Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus
Widener University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Pennsylvania ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Chester, Pennsylvania, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 11 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Duquesne University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 15 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, 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 86%.
University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Pennsylvania list. University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown is a small public school situated in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It awarded 2 bachelors’s journalism 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%.
Westminster College Pennsylvania ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Pennsylvania list. Westminster New Wilmington is a small school located in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania that handed out 1 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Journalism at Westminster College Pennsylvania
Marywood University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Pennsylvania ranking. This small school is located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #14, Messiah University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Pennsylvania list. Messiah is located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #15, Gannon University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Pennsylvania list. Erie, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 1 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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%.
With a ranking of #16, Elizabethtown College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Pennsylvania list. Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 0 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Seton Hill University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Pennsylvania ranking. Seton Hill University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. It awarded 0 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #16, Lincoln University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Pennsylvania list. Lincoln University is located in Lincoln University, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 0 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
Wilson College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in Pennsylvania ranking. Chambersburg, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 0 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
