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2023 Most Popular Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Journalism in California

25 Ranked Colleges
1,124 Degrees Awarded
$32,592 Avg Salary
Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor's

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 California, there were 1,640 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,623 and $21,695 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,124 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,566 and $21,995 respectively.

This year’s “Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor’s” ranking analyzed 25 colleges that offered a degree in journalism. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in journalism.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor’s

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree journalism students.

1
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San Diego State University
San Diego, 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 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor’s. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 170 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%.

Read full report on Journalism at San Diego State University

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school handed out 161 degrees to qualified bachelors’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%.

Read more about Journalism at CSUN

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 109 bachelors’s journalism degrees 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 CSULB

4

Out of the 25 schools in the Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #4 spot on the list. California State University - Fresno is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 85 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.

Read full report on Journalism at Fresno State

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 80 students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Journalism Report

6
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University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 79 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Southern California Journalism Report

7
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San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school handed out 61 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism 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 SFSU

8
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San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #8. San Jose State University is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 52 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Journalism at San Jose State

9

California State University - Chico ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor’s 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

10

11

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #11. Sac State is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 41 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

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%.

Read full report on Journalism at California State University - Sacramento

12

University of California - Irvine came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of California - Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 32 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Journalism at University of California - Irvine

13
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Chapman University
Orange, California

Chapman University ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. Chapman is located in Orange, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 31 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

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 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%.

Full Chapman Journalism Report

14
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Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #14, Loyola Marymount University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 29 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 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Loyola Marymount University Journalism Report

15

California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Carson, California, this fairly large public school awarded 21 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism 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 full report on Journalism at CSUDH

16
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Humboldt State University
Arcata, California

Humboldt State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #16. Arcata, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 17 students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Journalism at Humboldt State University

17
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Biola University
La Mirada, California

With a ranking of #17, Biola University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. La Mirada, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit 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 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Biola University Journalism Report

18
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California Baptist University
Riverside, California

With a ranking of #18, California Baptist University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Riverside, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 12 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students 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%.

Read more about Journalism at Cal Baptist

19

With a ranking of #19, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. California State University - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 10 bachelors’s journalism degrees 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%.

Read more about Journalism at California State University - Los Angeles

20
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Pepperdine University
Malibu, California

Pepperdine University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #20. This fairly large school is located in Malibu, California, and it awarded 9 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 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%.

Read more about Journalism at Pepperdine University

21
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Point Loma Nazarene University
San Diego, California

Point Loma Nazarene University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #21. Located in San Diego, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 7 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.

Read full report on Journalism at PLNU

22
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Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, California

Mount Saint Mary’s University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 5 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%. 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.

Read full report on Journalism at Mount Saint Mary’s University

23
Academy of Art University crest
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, California

Academy of Art University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #23. Academy of Art University is a private for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s 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%.

Read more about Journalism at Academy of Art University

24
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University of La Verne
La Verne, California

With a ranking of #24, University of La Verne did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. Located in La Verne, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students 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%.

Full ULV Journalism Report

25
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Pacific Union College
Angwin, California

Pacific Union College landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Journalism Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking. Angwin, California 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.

Read full report on Journalism at Pacific Union College

Notes and References

References

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