2022 Best Journalism Schools
For its 2022 ranking, College Factual looked at 286 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for journalism students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 14,528 degrees in journalism during the 2019-2020 academic year.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Journalism School
The journalism program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Journalism rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for journalism schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Pick Your Journalism Degree Level
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Journalism Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.
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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.
Best Schools for Journalism in the United States
If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the journalism degrees they offer, see the list below. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
25 Top Schools in Journalism
Any student pursuing a degree in journalism has to look into Washington and Lee University. Washington and Lee is a small private not-for-profit university located in the distant town of Lexington. A Best Schools rank of #47 out of 2,576 colleges nationwide means Washington and Lee is a great university overall.
There were about 7 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Washington and Lee in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in journalism from Washington and Lee University
Northwestern University is a good decision for students interested in a degree in journalism. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Schools rank of #14 out of 2,576 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.
There were approximately 271 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available. Those journalism students who get their degree from Northwestern University earn $9,558 more than the standard journalism grad.
More information about a degree in journalism from Northwestern University
Any student pursuing a degree in journalism needs to check out Georgetown University. Georgetown is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington. A Best Schools rank of #18 out of 2,576 schools nationwide means Georgetown is a great university overall.
There were about 21 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Georgetown in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in journalism from Georgetown University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in journalism. Columbia is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York. A Best Schools rank of #22 out of 2,576 colleges nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.
There were roughly 259 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the journalism degree program at Columbia University in the City of New York make $12,758 more than the standard college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in journalism from Columbia University in the City of New York
UW - Madison is a very large public university located in the city of Madison. A Best Schools rank of #69 out of 2,576 schools nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.
There were roughly 246 journalism students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in journalism from University of Wisconsin - Madison
Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Schools rank of #33 out of 2,576 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.
There were approximately 149 journalism students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year. Journalism degree recipients from University of Southern California earn a boost of about $10,958 over the typical earnings of journalism majors.
More information about a degree in journalism from University of Southern California
UT Austin is a very large public university located in the city of Austin. A Best Schools rank of #52 out of 2,576 colleges nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.
There were approximately 184 journalism students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in journalism from The University of Texas at Austin
UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis. This university ranks 4th out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were roughly 277 journalism students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent data year. Those journalism students who get their degree from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities earn $7,158 more than the average journalism student.
More information about a degree in journalism from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
UF is a fairly large public university located in the city of Gainesville. This university ranks 1st out of 87 colleges for overall quality in the state of Florida.
There were about 130 journalism students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent data year. After graduation, journalism degree recipients typically make about $32,200 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in journalism from University of Florida
Located in the medium-sized city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 4th out of 55 schools for overall quality in the state of Missouri.
There were roughly 531 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou in the most recent data year. Those journalism students who get their degree from University of Missouri - Columbia receive $10,558 more than the typical journalism graduate.
More information about a degree in journalism from University of Missouri - Columbia
Located in the city of Boston, Northeastern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Schools rank of #58 out of 2,576 schools nationwide means Northeastern is a great university overall.
There were about 32 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Northeastern in the most recent data year. Journalism degree recipients from Northeastern University get an earnings boost of about $10,558 over the typical income of journalism graduates.
More information about a degree in journalism from Northeastern University
Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 9 colleges for overall quality in the state of District of Columbia.
There were approximately 56 journalism students who graduated with this degree at GWU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the journalism program at George Washington University get $10,958 above the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in journalism from George Washington University
Located in the city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Schools rank of #67 out of 2,576 schools nationwide means Boston U is a great university overall.
There were approximately 187 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Boston U in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the journalism degree program at Boston University earn $8,158 more than the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in journalism from Boston University
Elon is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the midsize suburb of Elon. This university ranks 5th out of 113 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.
There were roughly 32 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Elon in the most recent year we have data available. Those journalism students who get their degree from Elon University make $2,958 more than the average journalism graduate.
More information about a degree in journalism from Elon University
Located in the large suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 39 colleges for overall quality in the state of Maryland.
There were approximately 157 journalism students who graduated with this degree at UMCP in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the journalism major at University of Maryland - College Park earn $5,058 above the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in journalism from University of Maryland - College Park
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public university located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo. A Best Schools rank of #70 out of 2,576 colleges nationwide means Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a great university overall.
There were approximately 74 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, journalism degree recipients generally earn around $31,600 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in journalism from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Located in the midsize city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 15th out of 160 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.
There were about 186 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Syracuse in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the journalism major at Syracuse University earn $5,058 more than the standard college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in journalism from Syracuse University
Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 4th out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of Iowa.
There were roughly 198 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent data year. Those journalism students who get their degree from University of Iowa make $2,358 more than the standard journalism graduate.
More information about a degree in journalism from University of Iowa
Located in the suburb of Fairfield, Fairfield U is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 5th out of 32 schools for overall quality in the state of Connecticut.
There were about 9 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Fairfield U in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in journalism from Fairfield University
UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Champaign. A Best Schools rank of #68 out of 2,576 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.
There were about 66 journalism students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the journalism program state that they receive average early career income of $31,900.
More information about a degree in journalism from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Located in the small city of Lawrence, KU is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 54 schools for overall quality in the state of Kansas.
There were approximately 260 journalism students who graduated with this degree at KU in the most recent data year. Those journalism students who get their degree from University of Kansas make $6,358 more than the average journalism student.
More information about a degree in journalism from University of Kansas
Located in the city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 48 colleges for overall quality in the state of Indiana.
There were roughly 142 journalism students who graduated with this degree at IU Bloomington in the most recent year we have data available. Those journalism students who get their degree from Indiana University - Bloomington earn $4,758 more than the typical journalism student.
More information about a degree in journalism from Indiana University - Bloomington
Located in the small city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Schools rank of #63 out of 2,576 schools nationwide means UNC Chapel Hill is a great university overall.
There were roughly 18 journalism students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in journalism from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Drake is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Des Moines. This university ranks 3rd out of 45 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.
There were roughly 31 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Drake in the most recent data year. Those journalism students who get their degree from Drake University earn $4,358 more than the average journalism graduate.
More information about a degree in journalism from Drake University
UGA is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Athens. This university ranks 3rd out of 80 colleges for overall quality in the state of Georgia.
There were roughly 208 journalism students who graduated with this degree at UGA in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the journalism major at University of Georgia earn $6,408 above the standard college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in journalism from University of GeorgiaRest of the Top Best Journalism Schools
Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great schools for Journalism students that almost earned our Best Journalism Schools award.
Rank | College | Location |
---|---|---|
43 | Quinnipiac University | Hamden, CT |
44 | University of Miami | Coral Gables, FL |
45 | University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, CO |
46 | Georgia College & State University | Milledgeville, GA |
47 | Ohio Northern University | Ada, OH |
48 | Arizona State University - Tempe | Tempe, AZ |
49 | Chapman University | Orange, CA |
50 | Samford University | Birmingham, AL |
51 | Gonzaga University | Spokane, WA |
52 | Ohio State University - Main Campus | Columbus, OH |
53 | University of St Thomas Minnesota | Saint Paul, MN |
54 | Creighton University | Omaha, NE |
55 | Salt Lake Community College | Salt Lake City, UT |
56 | Ithaca College | Ithaca, NY |
57 | University of Nebraska - Lincoln | Lincoln, NE |
Journalism by Region
View the Best Journalism Schools for a specific region near you.
Region |
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Southeast |
New England |
Rocky Mountains |
Plains States |
Middle Atlantic |
Far Western US |
Southwest |
Great Lakes |
Journalism Related Rankings by Major
One of 5 majors within the Communication & Journalism area of study, Journalism has other similar majors worth exploring.
Journalism Focus Areas
Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
General Journalism | 12,336 |
Other Journalism | 1,156 |
Broadcast Journalism | 920 |
Photojournalism | 116 |
View All Journalism Concentrations >
Most Popular Related Majors
Related Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Communication & Media Studies | 68,079 |
Public Relations & Advertising | 20,229 |
Radio, Television & Digital Communication | 17,036 |
Communication & Journalism (Other) | 1,253 |
Publishing | 262 |
View All Journalism Related Majors >
Notes and References
- The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Jfurrer.
More about our data sources and methodologies.