College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Best Value Colleges for Communications in California (With Aid)

10 Ranked Colleges
1,552 Degrees Awarded
$24,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Communication Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Communication Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 12,001 people earned their degree in communications, making the major the 67th most popular in the United States.

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 Getting Aid” ranking looked at 10 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in communications. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality communications programs that also have a lower cost than 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Communication Arts Rankings Other Ranking Categories

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Communication Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

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. 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 Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for california communication arts students with aid.

Top 10 Best Value Colleges for Communications in California (With Aid)

1

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Communication Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #1 spot on the list. UC Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 300 ’s communication arts degrees to qualified students.

UC Davis also made our “Best Communications Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $15,768 for california communication arts students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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 University of California - Davis Communications Report

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Communication Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. UCSD is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 271 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Communications Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - San Diego is $15,240 for California Communication Arts students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, 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 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - San Diego Communications Report

3

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Communication Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #3 spot on the list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 469 ’s communication arts degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSB also took the #1 spot in our “Best Communications Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $16,252 for California Communication Arts students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, 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 91%.

Read more about Communications at University of California - Santa Barbara

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Vanguard University of Southern California. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Communication Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. 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 also made our “Best Communications Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $21,338 for California Communication Arts students with aid per year to attend Vanguard.

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 Communications at Vanguard University of Southern California

5
The Master's University crest
The Master's University and Seminary
Santa Clarita, California

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Communication Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, The Master’s University and Seminary landed the #5 spot on the list. The Master’s University and Seminary is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Santa Clarita, California. It awarded 12 ’s communication arts degrees in 2020-2021.

The Master’s University also made our “Best Communications Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend The Master’s University and Seminary is $30,238 for california communication arts students with aid.

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%.

Read more about Communications at The Master’s University and Seminary

6
USD crest
University of San Diego
San Diego, California

University of San Diego ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Communication Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of San Diego is located in San Diego, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 100 ’s communication arts degrees to qualified students.

USD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Communications Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for USD is $34,139 for california communication arts students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 USD

7
Woodbury crest
Woodbury University
Burbank, California

Woodbury University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Communication Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Burbank, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 7 diplomas to qualified ’s communication arts students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Woodbury, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Communications Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Woodbury University is $29,715 for California Communication Arts students with aid.

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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communications at Woodbury University

8
National University crest
National University
La Jolla, California

National University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Communication Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 23 ’s communication arts degrees in 2020-2021.

National University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Communications Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for National University is $20,722 for california communication arts students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 National University Communications Report

9
Concordia University, Irvine crest
Concordia University, Irvine
Irvine, California

Concordia University, Irvine ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Communication Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Concordia University, Irvine is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 26 ’s communication arts degrees in 2020-2021.

Concordia University, Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Communications Schools in California” list. It costs about $27,201 for california communication arts students with aid per year to attend Concordia University, Irvine.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Concordia University, Irvine Communications Report

10
Pepperdine crest
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California

Pepperdine University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication Arts Schools in California For Those Getting Aid 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.

In addition to being on our california communication arts students with aid list, Pepperdine has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Communications Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $38,846 for California Communication Arts students with aid per year to attend Pepperdine University.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Pepperdine University Communications Report

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options