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2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools

672 Ranked Colleges
120,571 Degrees Awarded
$15,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools” ranking.

Communication & Journalism is the 11th most popular major in the country with 120,571 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, communication and journalism graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $34,266 and had an average of $24,758 in loans still to pay off.

This year’s “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools” ranking looked at 672 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in communication and journalism. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great communication and journalism programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the communication and journalism program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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The communication & journalism school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools”.

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.

Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools

The colleges and universities below are the best for communication & journalism students.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Communication & Journalism

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brigham Young University - Provo. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools. Located in Provo, Utah, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 390 degrees to qualified ’s communication and journalism students in 2020-2021.

BYU excels when it comes to communication and journalism quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend BYU is $13,474 for Communication & Journalism students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Full BYU Communication & Journalism Report

2

Out of the 672 schools in the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Phoenix - Arizona landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Phoenix - Arizona is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 257 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $13,038 for communication & journalism students per year to attend University of Phoenix - Arizona.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at University of Phoenix - Arizona

3

Out of the 672 schools in the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools that were part of this year’s ranking, Central New Mexico Community College landed the #3 spot on the list. Central New Mexico Community College is a public institution located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 87 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Central New Mexico Community College is $3,322 for Communication & Journalism students.

Full CNM Communication & Journalism Report

4
Top 15% in overall quality
$48,067 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 672 schools in the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Skysong landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, this large public school handed out 1,162 degrees to qualified ’s communication and journalism students in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, ASU - Skysong also did well on our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full ASU - Skysong Communication & Journalism Report

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brigham Young University - Idaho. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools. This large school is located in Rexburg, Idaho, and it awarded 236 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $6,698 for Communication & Journalism students per year to attend BYU - I.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at BYU - I

6
USD crest
University of South Dakota
Vermillion, South Dakota

With a ranking of #6, University of South Dakota did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools list. University of South Dakota is a medium-sized school located in Vermillion, South Dakota that handed out 82 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $19,389 for Communication & Journalism students per year to attend USD.

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 full report on Communication & Journalism at USD

7

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools ranking. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 116 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $14,462 for communication & journalism students per year to attend SIUE.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

8
South Dakota State crest
South Dakota State University
Brookings, South Dakota

With a ranking of #8, South Dakota State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools list. Located in Brookings, South Dakota, this fairly large public school handed out 72 diplomas to qualified ’s communication and journalism students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for South Dakota State University is $18,578 for Communication & Journalism students.

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%.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at South Dakota State

9

North Dakota State University - Main Campus came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools ranking. North Dakota State University - Main Campus is a fairly large school located in Fargo, North Dakota that handed out 42 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for North Dakota State University is $16,998 for Communication & Journalism students.

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%.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at North Dakota State University

10
Grand Canyon University crest
Grand Canyon University
Phoenix, Arizona

Grand Canyon University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools ranking, coming in at #10. Phoenix, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s communication and journalism degrees to 350 students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $20,585 for Communication & Journalism students per year to attend Grand Canyon University.

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 Communication & Journalism at Grand Canyon University

11
Winona State crest
Winona State University
Winona, Minnesota

With a ranking of #11, Winona State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools list. Winona State is a medium-sized school located in Winona, Minnesota that handed out 77 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Winona State excels when it comes to communication and journalism quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools” list. It costs about $17,634 for Communication & Journalism students per year to attend Winona State University.

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%.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at Winona State

12

Minnesota State University - Mankato came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools ranking. Minnesota State Mankato is a fairly large public school situated in Mankato, Minnesota. It awarded 141 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Minnesota State Mankato excels when it comes to communication and journalism quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $17,159 for communication & journalism students per year to attend Minnesota State Mankato.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at Minnesota State Mankato

13

Colorado State University - Global Campus landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools ranking. Colorado State University - Global Campus is located in Greenwood Village, Colorado and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 55 ’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $14,954 for Communication & Journalism students per year to attend Colorado State University - Global Campus.

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 Colorado State University - Global Campus Communication & Journalism Report

14

With a ranking of #14, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools list. University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is located in Whitewater, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 172 ’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for UW - Whitewater is $14,417 for Communication & Journalism students.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

15
WSC crest
Wayne State College
Wayne, Nebraska

Wayne State College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools ranking. Wayne State College is located in Wayne, Nebraska and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 23 ’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $14,141 for Communication & Journalism students per year to attend Wayne State College.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at WSC

16

With a ranking of #16, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools list. Located in La Crosse, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school awarded 81 diplomas to qualified ’s communication and journalism students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $14,654 for Communication & Journalism students per year to attend UW - La Crosse.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UW - La Crosse Communication & Journalism Report

17
UND crest
University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota

University of North Dakota ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools list. University of North Dakota is located in Grand Forks, North Dakota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 109 ’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for University of North Dakota is $16,966 for communication & journalism students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.

Full UND Communication & Journalism Report

18

University of South Florida - Main Campus ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools list. University of South Florida - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Tampa, Florida. It awarded 610 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

USF Tampa excels when it comes to communication and journalism quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $8,346 for Communication & Journalism students per year to attend University of South Florida - Main Campus.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, 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 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at University of South Florida - Main Campus

19

With a ranking of #19, University of Northern Iowa did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools list. Located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, this medium-sized public school handed out 162 degrees to qualified ’s communication and journalism students in 2020-2021.

UNI excels when it comes to communication and journalism quality. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $16,438 for Communication & Journalism students per year to attend UNI.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at UNI

20
Central Michigan crest
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Central Michigan University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools list. Central Michigan University is located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 302 ’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Central Michigan University is $16,007 for Communication & Journalism students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Central Michigan University

21

University of Wisconsin - River Falls ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools list. University of Wisconsin - River Falls is located in River Falls, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 114 ’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $13,844 for communication & journalism students per year to attend UW - River Falls.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Wisconsin - River Falls Communication & Journalism Report

22
St. Cloud State University crest
Saint Cloud State University
Saint Cloud, Minnesota

Saint Cloud State University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools list. St. Cloud State University is located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 108 ’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Saint Cloud State University is $14,581 for communication & journalism students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full St. Cloud State University Communication & Journalism Report

23
Bellevue University crest
Bellevue University
Bellevue, Nebraska

Bellevue University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools list. Bellevue University is located in Bellevue, Nebraska and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 81 ’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Bellevue University is $17,288 for communication & journalism students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Bellevue University

24
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia

With a ranking of #24, Liberty University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools list. Liberty University is a large school located in Lynchburg, Virginia that handed out 560 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Liberty University is $29,382 for Communication & Journalism students.

Full Liberty University Communication & Journalism Report

25

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools ranking. UW - Eau Claire is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 122 ’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $16,051 for communication & journalism students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana
27
28
Texas Tech crest
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, Texas
29
30
31
32
Truman State crest
Truman State University
Kirksville, Missouri
33
Hunter crest
Hunter College
New York, New York
34
35
36
37
38
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida
39
39
41
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
42
43
Ferris crest
Ferris State University
Big Rapids, Michigan
44
45
46
47
48
49
50

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools

While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

RankCollegeLocation
51University of Wisconsin - MilwaukeeMilwaukee, WI
52Western Michigan UniversityKalamazoo, MI
53University of North Carolina at CharlotteCharlotte, NC
53Wilmington UniversityNew Castle, DE
53Slippery Rock University of PennsylvaniaSlippery Rock, PA
56University of Oklahoma Norman CampusNorman, OK
57University of MemphisMemphis, TN
58University of FloridaGainesville, FL
59East Carolina UniversityGreenville, NC
60University of North FloridaJacksonville, FL
61Southern New Hampshire UniversityManchester, NH
62California State University - Long BeachLong Beach, CA
63Universidad del Sagrado CorazonSanturce, PR
64Sam Houston State UniversityHuntsville, TX
65Kennesaw State UniversityKennesaw, GA
RankCollegeLocation
66California State University - San MarcosSan Marcos, CA
67Southern Illinois University CarbondaleCarbondale, IL
68West Texas A&M UniversityCanyon, TX
69Utah Valley UniversityOrem, UT
69Franklin UniversityColumbus, OH
69University of Nebraska at OmahaOmaha, NE
72Purdue University NorthwestHammond, IN
73San Francisco State UniversitySan Francisco, CA
74Eastern Illinois UniversityCharleston, IL
75The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyEdinburg, TX
76Northern Arizona UniversityFlagstaff, AZ
77Shippensburg University of PennsylvaniaShippensburg, PA
78Southeast Missouri State UniversityCape Girardeau, MO
79University of Wisconsin - ParksideKenosha, WI
80Florida Atlantic UniversityBoca Raton, FL
81University of Central FloridaOrlando, FL
82Lindenwood UniversitySaint Charles, MO
83Eastern Michigan UniversityYpsilanti, MI
84University of Missouri - ColumbiaColumbia, MO
85Murray State UniversityMurray, KY
86Weber State UniversityOgden, UT
87Kent State University at KentKent, OH
88Texas State UniversitySan Marcos, TX
89University of UtahSalt Lake City, UT
90University of Maryland Global CampusAdelphi, MD
RankCollegeLocation
91Appalachian State UniversityBoone, NC
92East Tennessee State UniversityJohnson City, TN
93Metropolitan State UniversitySaint Paul, MN
94University of ArkansasFayetteville, AR
95The Graduate Center, CUNYNew York, NY
96University of WyomingLaramie, WY
97University of GeorgiaAthens, GA
98SUNY OneontaOneonta, NY
99Walden UniversityMinneapolis, MN
100James Madison UniversityHarrisonburg, VA
101University of North Carolina at GreensboroGreensboro, NC

Notes and References

References

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