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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $48-$75k) in California

50 Ranked Colleges
7,560 Degrees Awarded
$33,640 Avg Salary
Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $48-$75k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Communication & Media Studies is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 9th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 68,079 degrees were awarded to students with this major. 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 California, there were 13,425 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,239 and $21,690 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 7,560 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 50 colleges that offer a degree in communication and media studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality communication and media studies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the communication and media studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $48-$75k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k. Stanford University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 19 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $1,959 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Stanford University.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Full Stanford Communication & Media Studies Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k 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.

UC Berkeley also took the #1 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $13,081 for california bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UC Berkeley Communication & Media Studies Report

#3

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Barbara. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 517 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCSB is $15,343 for california bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

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.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at UCSB

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k. California State University - Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 730 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,427 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.

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.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Cal State Fullerton

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k. University of California - Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 323 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $13,578 for california bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of California - Davis

California State University - Los Angeles landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Cal State LA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 210 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $5,644 for california bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Cal State LA

California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #7. California State University - Long Beach is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 365 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $10,807 for california bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full California State University - Long Beach Communication & Media Studies Report

With a ranking of #8, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of California - San Diego is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 239 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $14,071 for california bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of California - San Diego Communication & Media Studies Report

California State University - Fresno ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - Fresno is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 102 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $7,549 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

With a ranking of #10, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. CSUDH is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 64 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $6,907 for california bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills.

The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 more about Communication & Media Studies at California State University - Dominguez Hills

California State University - Stanislaus ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Turlock, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 76 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,772 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Stanislaus.

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

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Stan State

With a ranking of #12, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. CSUN is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 369 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $10,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 full report on Communication & Media Studies at CSUN

California State University - Bakersfield ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Bakersfield, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 98 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUB is $7,564 for california bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full CSUB Communication & Media Studies Report

With a ranking of #14, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Sac State is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 531 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k list, Sac State has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $11,413 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 California State University - Sacramento

#15

Pitzer College

Claremont, California

Pitzer College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Pitzer College is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 19 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Pitzer also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $15,939 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Pitzer College.

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. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Pitzer

#16

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - San Bernardino is a fairly large public school situated in San Bernardino, California. It awarded 206 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,924 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - San Bernardino.

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

#17

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. SDSU is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 190 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU also took the #19 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,730 for california bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend San Diego State University.

The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at SDSU

#18

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of Southern California is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 314 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

USC also took the #2 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $20,050 for california bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend USC.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at USC

California State University - San Marcos came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. California State University - San Marcos is a fairly large school located in San Marcos, California that handed out 278 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUSM, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Marcos is $14,582 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at CSUSM

With a ranking of #20, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 64 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k list, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $19,407 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Communication & Media Studies Report

#21

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

San Jose State University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. San Jose State University is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 273 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also took the #12 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $16,397 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at San Jose State

#22

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 406 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

SFSU also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #16. The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $16,661 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full SFSU Communication & Media Studies Report

With a ranking of #23, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a large public school situated in Pomona, California. It awarded 152 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly Pomona also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #23. It costs about $14,012 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Cal Poly Pomona.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Communication & Media Studies Report

California State University - Channel Islands landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. CSUCI is a medium-sized school located in Camarillo, California that handed out 122 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUCI not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $15,108 for california bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend CSUCI.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

With a ranking of #25, California State University - East Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in Hayward, California, and it awarded 160 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,048 for california bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Cal State East Bay.

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

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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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