2023 Most Focused Colleges for Journalism in California
85
Ranked Colleges
1,640
Degrees Awarded
$32,500
Avg Cost*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Journalism is the 69th most popular major in the country with 13,552 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 California, there were 1,640 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,623 and $21,695 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California” ranking, we looked at 85 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.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California” list to help you make the college decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California
The colleges and universities below are the best for california journalism students.
Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Journalism in California
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Diego State University. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 170 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Full SDSU Journalism Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Northridge. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California. CSUN is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 161 ’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%.
Read more about Journalism at California State University - Northridge
Out of the 85 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 85 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Journalism at California State University - Fresno
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California list. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a large school located in San Luis Obispo, California that handed out 80 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Full California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Journalism Report
Out of the 85 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Biola University landed the #5 spot on the list. Biola is located in La Mirada, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 ’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%.
Read full report on Journalism at Biola
With a ranking of #6, Chapman University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California list. Chapman is located in Orange, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 31 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, 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 85%.
Full Chapman Journalism Report
California State University - Chico ranked #7 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California list. California State University - Chico is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 49 ’s 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 California State University - Chico
California State University - Long Beach came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California ranking. CSULB is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 109 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.
Read full report on Journalism at CSULB
Loyola Marymount University ranked #9 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California list. Loyola Marymount is a fairly large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 29 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Journalism at Loyola Marymount
Humboldt State University ranked #10 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California list. Humboldt State University is a medium-sized school located in Arcata, California that handed out 17 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Journalism at Humboldt State University
San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California ranking, coming in at #11. San Francisco State University is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 61 ’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%.
Full SFSU Journalism Report
Academy of Art University ranked #12 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.
Full Academy of Art University Journalism Report
De Anza College landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California ranking. De Anza College is a public institution located in Cupertino, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 22 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Full De Anza College Journalism Report
Fullerton College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Fullerton, California, this fairly large public school awarded 36 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
Full Fullerton College Journalism Report
University of Southern California came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 115 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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.
Read more about Journalism at University of Southern California
Mount Saint Mary’s University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 impressive undergrad 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 MSMU
With a ranking of #17, Cosumnes River College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California list. This fairly large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 9 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Cosumnes River College Journalism Report
With a ranking of #18, Glendale Community College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California list. Located in Glendale, California, this fairly large public school awarded 10 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.8% 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%.
Read more about Journalism at GCC
Point Loma Nazarene University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California ranking. Point Loma Nazarene University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 7 ’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%.
Read more about Journalism at Point Loma Nazarene University
With a ranking of #20, Las Positas College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California list. Las Positas College is a public institution located in Livermore, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Journalism at Las Positas College
San Jose State University ranked #21 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California list. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 52 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, 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%.
Read more about Journalism at San Jose State University
With a ranking of #22, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California list. Sac State is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 41 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Journalism at Sac State
California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California ranking. Carson, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Journalism at California State University - Dominguez Hills
Fresno City College landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in California ranking. Fresno City College is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 15 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Journalism at Fresno City College
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