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2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

82 Ranked Colleges
9,692 Degrees Awarded
$7,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

With 68,079 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, communication and media studies is the 9th most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, communication and media studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,728 and had an average of $24,931 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 15,759 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,204 and $21,798 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 9,692 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 82 colleges that offered a degree in communication and media studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent communication and media studies 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 communication and media studies program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 19 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k list, Stanford has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $-1,387 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Stanford. When an average net price is negative, it usually means that the student will receive more financial aid than it costs to attend the school.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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. 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%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Stanford University

Out of the 82 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #2 spot on the list. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 284 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $8,392 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Berkeley.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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 & Media Studies at University of California - Berkeley

Out of the 82 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. UW Seattle is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 463 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $7,850 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, 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 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 730 students in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton also took the #20 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fullerton is $4,291 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full California State University - Fullerton Communication & Media Studies 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 #5 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k. California State University - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 210 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $1,379 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k 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%.

Full Cal State LA Communication & Media Studies Report

#6

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. UCSB is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 517 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $10,316 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.

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

Full UCSB Communication & Media Studies Report

With a ranking of #7, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UC Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 323 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also took the #6 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Davis is $9,842 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at UC Davis

#8

Pitzer College

Claremont, California

Pitzer College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 19 students in 2019-2020.

Pitzer did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Pitzer is $15,922 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Pitzer

California State University - Long Beach ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 365 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.

CSULB also took the #21 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $6,364 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSULB.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 full report on Communication & Media Studies at CSULB

California State University - Fresno came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 102 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $3,264 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at California State University - Fresno

California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Carson, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 64 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUDH is $2,455 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at California State University - Dominguez Hills

#12

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school handed out 190 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $8,870 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at SDSU

University of California - San Diego came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school awarded 239 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.

UCSD also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $9,280 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 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 & Media Studies at University of California - San Diego

California State University - Northridge landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Northridge, California, and it awarded 369 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $5,945 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 & Media Studies at CSUN

California State University - Stanislaus came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Stan State is located in Turlock, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 76 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Stan State is $3,410 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 & Media Studies at Stan State

California State University - Bakersfield came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Bakersfield, California, and it awarded 98 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUB is $3,423 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at California State University - Bakersfield

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 531 students in 2019-2020.

Sac State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $6,819 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Full California State University - Sacramento Communication & Media Studies Report

University of Nevada - Las Vegas ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Nevada - Las Vegas is a large school located in Las Vegas, Nevada that handed out 237 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,378 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UNLV.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at UNLV

#19

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in San Bernardino, California, this fairly large public school awarded 206 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Bernardino is $5,077 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Full California State University - San Bernardino Communication & Media Studies Report

#20

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington

Washington State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. Washington State University is a large public school situated in Pullman, Washington. It awarded 6 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,334 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Wazzu.

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 & Media Studies at Wazzu

#21

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington

Western Washington University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. WWU is a public institution located in Bellingham, Washington. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 89 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Western Washington University is $9,743 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at WWU

California State University - San Marcos ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. 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 communications degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend CSUSM is $9,517 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at California State University - San Marcos

#23

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington

Eastern Washington University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Eastern Washington University is a fairly large public school situated in Cheney, Washington. It awarded 97 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for EWU is $8,473 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full EWU Communication & Media Studies Report

#24

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 406 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k list, SFSU has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SFSU is $11,123 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at San Francisco State University

#25

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 314 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $14,668 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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. The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 & Media Studies at University of Southern California

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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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