2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this 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 Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 51 colleges that offer a degree in communication and media studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great communication and media studies programs and cost less that 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.
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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 Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree communications students with aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in California (With Aid)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Cal State LA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 210 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $2,768 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students with aid per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Communication & Media Studies at California State University - Los Angeles
Out of the 51 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 730 bachelors’s communications 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 $7,991 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students with aid per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.
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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Cal State Fullerton
Out of the 51 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Carson, California, this fairly large public school handed out 64 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend CSUDH is $4,215 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Northridge is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 369 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $8,414 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students with aid.
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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 365 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree communications students with aid list, CSULB has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,622 for california bachelor’s degree communications students with aid per year to attend CSULB.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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 California State University - Long Beach
California State University - Fresno ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Fresno is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 102 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $5,464 for california bachelor’s degree communications students with aid.
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 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 Fresno State
University of California - Berkeley came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 284 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Berkeley also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $15,329 for california bachelor’s degree communications students with aid.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at UC Berkeley
University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school handed out 517 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.
UCSB also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $15,884 for california bachelor’s degree communications students with aid per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
California State University - Bakersfield ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Bakersfield is a public institution located in Bakersfield, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 98 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $5,318 for california bachelor’s degree communications students with aid per year to attend California State University - Bakersfield.
Full California State University - Bakersfield Communication & Media Studies Report
California State University - Stanislaus ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Stanislaus is a fairly large public school situated in Turlock, California. It awarded 76 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Stan State is $6,019 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. 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.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree communications students with aid list, Sac State has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $9,979 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.
With a ranking of #12, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Davis, California, this large public school awarded 323 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communications students 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. It costs about $14,669 for california bachelor’s degree communications students with aid per year to attend University of California - Davis.
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 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at UC Davis
University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 239 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.
UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $14,232 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of California - San Diego
With a ranking of #14, Stanford University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
Stanford also took the #3 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,496 for california bachelor’s degree communications students with aid per year to attend Stanford.
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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. 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.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Bernardino is $7,342 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
San Diego State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school handed out 190 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.
SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students with aid.
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%. 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 San Diego State University Communication & Media Studies Report
With a ranking of #17, California State University - San Marcos did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. 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.
CSUSM also took the #24 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSUSM is $13,399 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students with aid.
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%.
San Jose State University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school handed out 273 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree communications students with aid list, San Jose State has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $14,928 for california bachelor’s degree communications students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, 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 86%.
Full San Jose State University Communication & Media Studies Report
San Francisco State University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. SFSU is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 406 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.
SFSU also took the #16 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $15,113 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students with aid.
Full San Francisco State University Communication & Media Studies Report
California State University - East Bay ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Hayward, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 160 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - East Bay is $11,116 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students with aid.
Read more about Communication & Media Studies at California State University - East Bay
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Pomona, California, this large public school awarded 152 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.
Cal Poly Pomona also took the #23 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $12,734 for california bachelor’s degree communications students with aid.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Cal Poly Pomona
California State University - Channel Islands came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Channel Islands is a medium-sized school located in Camarillo, California that handed out 122 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
CSUCI also took the #25 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $13,558 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students with aid per year to attend CSUCI.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Communication & Media Studies at California State University - Channel Islands
California State University - Chico came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Chico, California, and it awarded 122 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,017 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students with aid per year to attend California State University - Chico.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Communication & Media Studies at California State University - Chico
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public institution located in San Luis Obispo, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 64 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree communications students with aid 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 yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $21,595 for california bachelor’s degree communications students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Sonoma State University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Sonoma State University is a public institution located in Rohnert Park, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 106 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for SSU is $17,478 for California Bachelor’s Degree Communications students with aid.
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 full report on Communication & Media Studies at Sonoma State University
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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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to UNU-WIDER from Helsinki, Finland.
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