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2023 Best Value Communication Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k

9 Ranked Colleges
1,552 Degrees Awarded
$19,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Communication Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Communication Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Communications is the 67th most popular major in the country with 12,001 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

Across California, there were 1,552 communications graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Communication Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 9 colleges that offered a degree in communications. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent communications programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the communications program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Communications Schools

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Communication Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Communication Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california communication arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 9 Best Value Colleges for Communications (Income $0-$30k) in California

1

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Communication Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #1 spot on the list. UC Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 300 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Davis also took the #2 spot in our “Best Communications Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $10,006 for California Communication Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UC Davis Communications Report

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Barbara. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Communication Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 469 ’s communication arts degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSB also took the #1 spot in our “Best Communications Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Barbara is $10,568 for california communication arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Communications at UCSB

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Communication Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. UCSD is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 271 ’s communication arts degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSD also took the #3 spot in our “Best Communications Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,823 for California Communication Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - San Diego.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UCSD Communications Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Vanguard University of Southern California. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Communication Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Costa Mesa, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s communication arts degrees to 12 students in 2020-2021.

Vanguard did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Communications Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Vanguard University of Southern California is $16,602 for california communication arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Vanguard Communications Report

5
USD crest
University of San Diego
San Diego, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of San Diego. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Communication Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. San Diego, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s communication arts degrees to 100 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california communication arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, USD has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Communications Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $21,951 for California Communication Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend USD.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communications at University of San Diego

6
The Master's University crest
The Master's University and Seminary
Santa Clarita, California

The Master’s University and Seminary came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. The Master’s University is a small school located in Santa Clarita, California that handed out 12 ’s communication arts degrees in 2020-2021.

The Master’s University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Communications Schools in California” list. It costs about $24,091 for California Communication Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The Master’s University.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 The Master’s University and Seminary Communications Report

7
Concordia University, Irvine crest
Concordia University, Irvine
Irvine, California

Concordia University, Irvine came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Irvine, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 26 diplomas to qualified ’s communication arts students in 2020-2021.

Concordia University, Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Communications Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Concordia University, Irvine is $23,512 for california communication arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 Concordia University, Irvine Communications Report

8
Woodbury crest
Woodbury University
Burbank, California

With a ranking of #8, Woodbury University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communication Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Burbank, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s communication arts degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.

Woodbury also took the #10 spot in our “Best Communications Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Woodbury University is $25,495 for California Communication Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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.

Full Woodbury University Communications Report

9
Pepperdine crest
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California

Pepperdine University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication Arts Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Malibu, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s communication arts degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.

Pepperdine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Communications Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Pepperdine is $36,264 for California Communication Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read more about Communications at Pepperdine University

Notes and References

References

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