by our College Data Analytics Team
Communication & Media Studies is one of the most popular subjects to study in California. With 743,175 bachelor's degrees handed out in 2021-2022, it ranked 7th out of all the majors we track in the state. This means that colleges and universities in the state were responsible for awarding 13.7% of all the communications bachelor's degrees in the country.
For this year's Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in California ranking, we looked at 45 colleges that offer a bachelor's in communications. When talking about the 'best value', we do not simply mean those with the lowest price. For this ranking, we are identifying those communications schools that provide their students with a hiqh quality education at a price that is lower than other colleges and universities of the same caliber.
When calculating average cost, we take tuition, fees, room and board, books and supplies, and other related expenses into account. We then subtract the average financial aid award. The is meant to give you an idea of how much money you'll need to pay out-of-pocket through loans, external scholarships, or other methods. Your cost may be different from the average one, depending on your income and other factors.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Value Communications Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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.
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
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The following schools top our list of the Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges for the Money.
California State University - Long Beach earned the #1 spot in our 2024 rankings. CSULB is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Long Beach.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at CSULB is 4.8 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $23,555. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the CSULB is $112,593. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
San Francisco State University landed the #2 spot in our 2024 rankings for best value communication & media studies schools. Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public school with a very large student population. SFSU did well in our quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in California list.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at SFSU is 4.8 years, and it costs about $25,986 per year to attend the school. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from SFSU be around $123,434. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
Full Communication & Media Studies at San Francisco State University Report
The #3 spot in this year's ranking belongs to California State University - Northridge. Located in the large city of Northridge, CSUN is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average student at CSUN graduates in less than 4.9 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $21,912. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from CSUN is $108,245. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
Full Communication & Media Studies at California State University - Northridge Report
University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #4 spot in our 2024 rankings for best value communication & media studies schools. UCSB is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara. UCSB not only placed well in our value rankings. It is also #4 on our Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in California list.
The average student at UCSB graduates in less than 4.2 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $39,676. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from UCSB is about $167,433. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
Full Communication & Media Studies at University of California - Santa Barbara Report
San Jose State University comes in at #5 in this year's ranking. San Jose State is a very large public school located in the city of San Jose. San Jose State also took the #9 spot in our Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in California rankings.
The average student at San Jose State graduates in less than 5.0 years, and it costs about $28,220 per year to attend the school. This means that the average student pays around $140,536 to get a bachelor’s degree from San Jose State. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
Full Communication & Media Studies at San Jose State University Report
Our rankings recognize University of California - San Diego as the #6 school in this year's rankings. Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public school with a very large student population. UCSD also took the #6 spot in our Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in California rankings.
The average student at UCSD graduates in less than 4.3 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $39,251. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from UCSD is $168,387. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
Full Communication & Media Studies at University of California - San Diego Report
University of California - Davis landed the #7 spot in our 2024 rankings for best value communication & media studies schools. UC Davis is a very large public school located in the suburb of Davis. UC Davis did well in our quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in California list.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at UC Davis is 4.3 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $41,225. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from UC Davis is $177,268. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of California - Davis
Our rankings recognize California State University - Sacramento as the #8 school in this year's rankings. Located in the city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
At Sac State, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 5.0 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $27,149. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Sac State is $136,831. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at California State University - Sacramento
The #9 spot in this year's ranking belongs to California State University - Fullerton. Cal State Fullerton is a very large public school located in the suburb of Fullerton.
At Cal State Fullerton, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.9 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $28,316. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Cal State Fullerton be around $137,333. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
Our rankings recognize California State University - San Marcos as the #10 school in this year's rankings. Located in the large suburb of San Marcos, CSUSM is a public college with a large student population.
At CSUSM, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.9 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $24,745. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from CSUSM is $121,498. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at California State University - San Marcos
Explore all the Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 1,076 |
| Oregon | 382 |
| Nevada | 318 |
| Hawaii | 244 |
| Alaska | 7 |
One of 5 majors within the Communication & Journalism area of study, Communication & Media Studies has other similar majors worth exploring.
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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