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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communications (With Aid)

186 Ranked Colleges
10,632 Degrees Awarded
$11,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Communications is the 65th most popular major in the country with 11,861 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 10,632 communications graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 186 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

The communication arts 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 Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid”.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important 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 for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree communication arts students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communications (With Aid)

#1

Baruch College

New York, New York

Out of the 186 schools in the Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Baruch College landed the #1 spot on the list. Baruch is a fairly large school located in New York, New York that handed out 73 bachelors’s communication arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Baruch is $3,562 for bachelor’s degree communication arts students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Baruch College Communications Report

#2

The City College of New York

New York, New York

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The City College of New York. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. Located in New York, New York, this fairly large public school handed out 95 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communication arts students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CCNY is $2,385 for bachelor’s degree communication arts students with aid.

Read more about Communications at CCNY

#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 279 bachelors’s communication arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for bachelor’s degree communication arts students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Communications at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UT Rio Grande Valley is a public institution located in Edinburg, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UT Rio Grande Valley is $4,514 for Bachelor’s Degree Communication Arts students with aid.

The 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 more about Communications at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

#5

Brooklyn College

Brooklyn, New York

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brooklyn College. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Brooklyn, New York, this fairly large public school handed out 1 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communication arts students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $2,683 for bachelor’s degree communication arts students with aid per year to attend Brooklyn College.

The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.

Full Brooklyn College Communications Report

#6

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#16 in overall quality

Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, this large public school handed out 131 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communication arts students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree communication arts students with aid list, Purdue has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,986 for Bachelor’s Degree Communication Arts students with aid per year to attend Purdue University - Main Campus.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national 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.

Read more about Communications at Purdue

The University of Texas of the Permian Basin came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. The University of Texas of the Permian Basin is a medium-sized school located in Odessa, Texas that handed out 46 bachelors’s communication arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas of the Permian Basin is $10,092 for Bachelor’s Degree Communication Arts students with aid.

Read full report on Communications at UT Permian Basin

#8

College of Staten Island CUNY

Staten Island, New York

With a ranking of #8, College of Staten Island CUNY did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. CSI is a fairly large public school situated in Staten Island, New York. It awarded 70 bachelors’s communication arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend College of Staten Island CUNY is $5,118 for bachelor’s degree communication arts students with aid.

Full College of Staten Island CUNY Communications Report

#9

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#3 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 517 bachelors’s communication arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB also took the #3 spot in our “Best Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $15,884 for Bachelor’s Degree Communication Arts students with aid 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 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 more about Communications at UCSB

Texas A&M International University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. Texas A&M International University is a medium-sized school located in Laredo, Texas that handed out 36 bachelors’s communication arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,074 for bachelor’s degree communication arts students with aid per year to attend Texas A&M International University.

Full Texas A&M International University Communications Report

#6 in overall quality

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Davis, California, this large public school awarded 323 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communication arts students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also made our “Best Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $14,669 for Bachelor’s Degree Communication Arts students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communications at UC Davis

#12

Colorado State University - Global Campus

Greenwood Village, Colorado
#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, Colorado State University - Global Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Greenwood Village, Colorado is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communication arts degrees to 71 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Colorado State University - Global Campus, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking.

The low student loan default rate of 3.9% 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%.

Read full report on Communications at Colorado State University - Global Campus

#13

University of North Florida

Jacksonville, Florida

University of North Florida did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. UNF is located in Jacksonville, Florida and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 233 bachelors’s communication arts degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $9,606 for Bachelor’s Degree Communication Arts students with aid per year to attend UNF.

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 Communications at UNF

#10 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communication arts degrees to 239 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree communication arts students with aid list, UCSD has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $14,232 for Bachelor’s Degree Communication Arts students with aid.

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

Read more about Communications at UCSD

#15

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Whitewater, Wisconsin
#23 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Whitewater, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school awarded 141 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communication arts students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Whitewater, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Whitewater is $15,249 for bachelor’s degree communication arts students with aid.

Read more about Communications at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

The University of Texas at San Antonio did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. The University of Texas at San Antonio is located in San Antonio, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 289 bachelors’s communication arts degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $13,853 for bachelor’s degree communication arts students with aid per year to attend The University of Texas at San Antonio.

Read full report on Communications at UTSA

Top 20% in overall quality

University of Phoenix - Arizona landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UOPX - Arizona is a private for-profit institution located in Tempe, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 256 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UOPX - Arizona excels when it comes to communication arts quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UOPX - Arizona is $12,944 for Bachelor’s Degree Communication Arts students with aid.

Read more about Communications at University of Phoenix - Arizona

Top 25% in overall quality

With a ranking of #18, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UIC is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 86 bachelors’s communication arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Chicago is $13,312 for Bachelor’s Degree Communication Arts students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communications at UIC

#19

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

Green Bay, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Green Bay, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communication arts degrees to 52 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,395 for bachelor’s degree communication arts students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Green Bay.

Read full report on Communications at University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

#20

Towson University

Towson, Maryland
#17 in overall quality

Towson University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Towson is a large school located in Towson, Maryland that handed out 146 bachelors’s communication arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Towson also made our “Best Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #17. The yearly cost to attend Towson is $18,233 for bachelor’s degree communication arts students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Communications at Towson

University of Wisconsin - Parkside landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s communication arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,327 for bachelor’s degree communication arts students with aid per year to attend UW - Parkside.

Read more about Communications at UW - Parkside

#22

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Top 25% in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and it awarded 90 bachelors’s communication arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,465 for Bachelor’s Degree Communication Arts students with aid per year to attend UW - Stevens Point.

Read more about Communications at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

#23

University of Missouri - St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri

University of Missouri - St Louis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this fairly large public school awarded 63 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communication arts students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,435 for bachelor’s degree communication arts students with aid per year to attend University of Missouri - St Louis.

Read full report on Communications at UMSL

#24

Texas A&M University - College Station

College Station, Texas
#7 in overall quality

Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in College Station, Texas, this large public school handed out 346 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communication arts students in 2019-2020.

Texas A&M College Station did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $19,057 for Bachelor’s Degree Communication Arts students with aid per year to attend Texas A&M University - College Station.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Texas A&M College Station Communications Report

#25

University of Minnesota - Crookston

Crookston, Minnesota

University of Minnesota - Crookston did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #25. University of Minnesota - Crookston is a public institution located in Crookston, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UMN Crookston is $10,952 for bachelor’s degree communication arts students with aid.

Read full report on Communications at UMN Crookston

Rest of the Best 28 in Best Value Communication Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

Not only did these schools make the top 28 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#26

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, Minnesota
#27

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Eau Claire, Wisconsin
#28

University of Illinois at Springfield

Springfield, Illinois

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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