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2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region

47 Ranked Colleges
1,644 Degrees Awarded
$28,000 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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 the Plains States region, there were 1,644 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,741 and $23,977 respectively.

This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region” ranking looked at 47 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

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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 the Plains States Region” 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 the Plains States Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region journalism students.

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Journalism in the Plains States Region

1

Out of the 47 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Missouri - Columbia landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Columbia, Missouri, and it awarded 488 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 Mizzou Journalism Report

2
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University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Kansas. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Lawrence, Kansas, this large public school handed out 257 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%.

Read more about Journalism at KU

3
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Lincoln University
Jefferson City, Missouri

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lincoln University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region list. This small school is located in Jefferson City, Missouri, and it awarded 10 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Journalism at Lincoln University

4
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Drake University
Des Moines, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Drake University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region list. Des Moines, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 39 students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Journalism at Drake

5
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College of the Ozarks
Point Lookout, Missouri

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend College of the Ozarks. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region list. College of the Ozarks is a private not-for-profit institution located in Point Lookout, Missouri. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full College of the Ozarks Journalism Report

6

With a ranking of #6, University of Nebraska - Lincoln did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region list. This large school is located in Lincoln, Nebraska, and it awarded 109 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UNL Journalism Report

7

With a ranking of #7, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school awarded 258 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Journalism Report

8
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University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

University of Iowa ranked #8 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Iowa City, Iowa, this large public school handed out 170 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Iowa Journalism Report

9
Drury University crest
Drury University
Springfield, Missouri

Drury University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #9. Drury University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Springfield, Missouri. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Drury University Journalism Report

10
K -State crest
Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas

With a ranking of #10, Kansas State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Manhattan, Kansas, this large public school awarded 83 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read more about Journalism at K -State

11
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Creighton University
Omaha, Nebraska

Creighton University ranked #11 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region list. Omaha, Nebraska is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 29 students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 Creighton

12

University of Nebraska at Kearney did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #12. University of Nebraska at Kearney is a medium-sized public school situated in Kearney, Nebraska. It awarded 13 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Journalism at UNK

13
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Augustana University
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Augustana University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #13. Augustana University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It awarded 6 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Augustana Sioux Falls Journalism Report

14
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Simpson College
Indianola, Iowa

Simpson College ranked #14 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Indianola, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

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%.

Full Simpson College Journalism Report

15
Concordia College Moorhead crest
Concordia College at Moorhead
Moorhead, Minnesota

Concordia College at Moorhead did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #15. Concordia College at Moorhead is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Moorhead, Minnesota. It awarded 4 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Journalism at Concordia College Moorhead

16
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Saint Ambrose University
Davenport, Iowa

Saint Ambrose University ranked #16 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Davenport, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 6 degrees to qualified ’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%.

Full Saint Ambrose University Journalism Report

17

Iowa State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #17. Iowa State University is a large public school situated in Ames, Iowa. It awarded 56 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read more about Journalism at Iowa State University

18
Bethel University Minnesota crest
Bethel University Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota

Bethel University Minnesota came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Saint Paul, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Journalism at Bethel University Minnesota

19
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Mount Mercy University
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Mount Mercy University ranked #19 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region list. This small school is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and it awarded 3 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Mount Mercy Journalism Report

20

University of Minnesota - Duluth came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Duluth, Minnesota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 12 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 University of Minnesota - Duluth

21
Dordt crest
Dordt University
Sioux Center, Iowa

Dordt University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #21. Dordt is a private not-for-profit institution located in Sioux Center, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%.

Read more about Journalism at Dordt

22

Minnesota State University - Moorhead did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #22. Located in Moorhead, Minnesota, this medium-sized public school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Journalism at MSU Moorhead

23
South Dakota State crest
South Dakota State University
Brookings, South Dakota

With a ranking of #23, South Dakota State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region list. This fairly large school is located in Brookings, South Dakota, and it awarded 10 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.

Full South Dakota State Journalism Report

24
Hastings crest
Hastings College
Hastings, Nebraska

Hastings College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Hastings, Nebraska, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 1 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students 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%.

Full Hastings Journalism Report

25

North Dakota State University - Main Campus came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Plains States Region ranking. North Dakota State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Fargo, North Dakota. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Journalism at North Dakota State University - Main Campus

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