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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Journalism (Income $30-$48k) in California

55 Ranked Colleges
10,632 Degrees Awarded
$8,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $30-$48k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Communication & Journalism is the 11th most popular major in the country with 121,387 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, communication and journalism graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,549 and had an average of $24,893 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 18,646 communication and journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,210 and $21,875 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 10,632 communication and journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 55 colleges that offer a degree 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the communication and journalism program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Journalism (Income $30-$48k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 19 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also took the #3 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $1,145 for california bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%.

Full Stanford University Communication & Journalism Report

#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. University of California - Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 284 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $9,130 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 University of California - Berkeley Communication & Journalism Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. California State University - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 364 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $2,117 for california bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at California State University - Los Angeles

#20 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. Cal State Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 919 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton also took the #20 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $6,100 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full California State University - Fullerton Communication & Journalism Report

#5

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Barbara. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school awarded 517 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communication and journalism students in 2019-2020.

UCSB also took the #5 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,895 for california bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCSB.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at University of California - Santa Barbara

California State University - Fresno came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Fresno State is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 215 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,731 for california bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Fresno.

The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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 full report on Communication & Journalism at California State University - Fresno

#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Davis, California, this large public school awarded 323 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communication and journalism students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also took the #6 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,769 for california bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Davis.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at University of California - Davis

#22 in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. CSULB is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 512 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $7,595 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at CSULB

California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Dominguez Hills is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 192 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills is $3,115 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low 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 more about Communication & Journalism at California State University - Dominguez Hills

California State University - Stanislaus came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Stanislaus is a public institution located in Turlock, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 76 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Stan State is $3,958 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at Stan State

#9 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 239 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD also made our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend University of California - San Diego is $9,974 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at University of California - San Diego

With a ranking of #12, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Northridge is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 899 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,883 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Northridge.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at California State University - Northridge

California State University - Bakersfield landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Bakersfield, California, and it awarded 98 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUB is $3,880 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full CSUB Communication & Journalism Report

#25 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 36 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $10,373 for california bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at UC Irvine

#23 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Sac State is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 570 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $7,823 for california bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Read more about Communication & Journalism at California State University - Sacramento

#16

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#24 in overall quality

San Diego State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. SDSU is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 428 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU also took the #24 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $10,594 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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%.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at San Diego State University

#17

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #17. CSUSB is a public institution located in San Bernardino, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 206 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUSB is $5,869 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full CSUSB Communication & Journalism Report

#18

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#2 in overall quality

University of Southern California ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 492 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

USC also took the #2 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $16,252 for california bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend USC.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Full USC Communication & Journalism Report

#12 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #19. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a public institution located in San Luis Obispo, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 138 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also took the #12 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $14,680 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

California State University - San Marcos did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #20. California State University - San Marcos is located in San Marcos, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 278 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $10,347 for california bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - San Marcos.

The low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 Communication & Journalism at California State University - San Marcos

#21

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#21 in overall quality

San Francisco State University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school handed out 650 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communication and journalism students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $12,517 for california bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at San Francisco State University

#22

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#14 in overall quality

San Jose State University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. San Jose State University is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 451 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also made our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $11,752 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend San Jose State.

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 student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full San Jose State University Communication & Journalism Report

California State University - East Bay landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Cal State East Bay is located in Hayward, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 160 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State East Bay is $8,891 for california bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at California State University - East Bay

#24

Pitzer College

Claremont, California
#7 in overall quality

Pitzer College ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Pitzer did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Pitzer College is $7,693 for california bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at Pitzer

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is located in Pomona, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 152 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $9,630 for california bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

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Notes and References

References

  • 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 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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