2023 Best Value Colleges for General Journalism (With Aid)
213
Ranked Colleges
11,380
Degrees Awarded
$12,600
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking.
General Journalism is the 69th most popular major in the country with 11,380 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
This year’s “Best Value Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 213 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general journalism. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general journalism programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general journalism program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The journalism 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 Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid”.
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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for journalism students with aid.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for General Journalism (With Aid)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Baruch College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Baruch is a fairly large school located in New York, New York that handed out 39 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $2,264 for journalism students with aid per year to attend Baruch.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Baruch General Journalism Report
Out of the 213 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #2 spot on the list. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 209 students in 2020-2021.
UW - Madison also took the #2 spot in our “Best General Journalism Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Madison is $17,234 for Journalism students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UW - Madison General Journalism Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Florida. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of Florida is a large public school situated in Gainesville, Florida. It awarded 123 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UF is also in the top of our “Best General Journalism Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for UF is $5,135 for Journalism students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Florida General Journalism Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Bloomington. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Bloomington, Indiana, this large public school awarded 123 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
IU Bloomington not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best General Journalism Schools” list. It costs about $14,619 for journalism students with aid per year to attend Indiana University - Bloomington.
The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on General Journalism at IU Bloomington
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school awarded 39 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UW Seattle also did well on our “Best General Journalism Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $12,017 for Journalism students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad 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 General Journalism at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
The University of Texas at Austin landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school awarded 181 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Austin, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best General Journalism Schools” ranking. It costs about $18,350 for Journalism students with aid per year to attend The University of Texas at Austin.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on General Journalism at UT Austin
Austin Community College District came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Austin Community College District is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 22 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $7,224 for Journalism students with aid per year to attend Austin Community College District.
Read more about General Journalism at Austin Community College District
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large public school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 258 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our journalism students with aid list, UMN Twin Cities has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best General Journalism Schools” ranking. It costs about $17,878 for journalism students with aid per year to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, 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 93%.
Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities General Journalism Report
University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. University of Missouri - Columbia is a public institution located in Columbia, Missouri. The school has a large population, and it awarded 488 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Mizzou also made our “Best General Journalism Schools” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend University of Missouri - Columbia is $16,559 for Journalism students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Missouri - Columbia General Journalism Report
California State University - Fresno ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school awarded 85 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $6,230 for Journalism students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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 General Journalism at California State University - Fresno
Brooklyn College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Brooklyn, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Brooklyn College is $3,067 for journalism students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 General Journalism at Brooklyn College
With a ranking of #12, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 53 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our journalism students with aid list, UIUC has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best General Journalism Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $14,321 for Journalism 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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 more about General Journalism at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public institution located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 15 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $12,469 for journalism students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill General Journalism Report
University of Maryland - College Park came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Maryland - College Park is a public institution located in College Park, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 145 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our journalism students with aid list, UMCP has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best General Journalism Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Maryland - College Park is $18,048 for Journalism students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, 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 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UMCP General Journalism Report
California State University - Long Beach ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Long Beach is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 109 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $10,054 for journalism students with aid.
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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full CSULB General Journalism Report
University of Iowa landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Iowa is located in Iowa City, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 170 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our journalism students with aid list, Iowa has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best General Journalism Schools” ranking. It costs about $19,401 for Journalism students with aid per year to attend Iowa.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, 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 88%.
Read full report on General Journalism at University of Iowa
West Virginia University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. West Virginia University is a large public school situated in Morgantown, West Virginia. It awarded 176 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
WVU excels when it comes to journalism quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best General Journalism Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend West Virginia University is $13,355 for journalism students with aid.
Read more about General Journalism at WVU
University of North Texas landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of North Texas is a public institution located in Denton, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 259 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UNT is also in the top of our “Best General Journalism Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend UNT is $14,122 for Journalism students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read more about General Journalism at University of North Texas
San Diego State University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school awarded 170 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
SDSU also claimed a top spot on our “Best General Journalism Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $13,845 for journalism students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about General Journalism at San Diego State University
University of Georgia did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. UGA is located in Athens, Georgia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 126 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UGA, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best General Journalism Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Georgia is $14,257 for journalism 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 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 more about General Journalism at University of Georgia
With a ranking of #21, Northern Kentucky University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Highland Heights, Kentucky, and it awarded 14 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $9,183 for journalism students with aid per year to attend Northern Kentucky University.
Read more about General Journalism at Northern Kentucky University
Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. IUPUI is a large school located in Indianapolis, Indiana that handed out 42 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for IUPUI is $12,416 for Journalism students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.
Full IUPUI General Journalism Report
Iowa State University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Iowa State is a large school located in Ames, Iowa that handed out 56 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, Iowa State is in the top on our “Best General Journalism Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State is $16,002 for journalism students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.
Read full report on General Journalism at Iowa State University
Michigan State University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Michigan State University is a large public school situated in East Lansing, Michigan. It awarded 111 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Michigan State is also in the top of our “Best General Journalism Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Michigan State University is $19,058 for Journalism students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, 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 undergraduate students.
Full Michigan State General Journalism Report
With a ranking of #25, University of Central Florida did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid list. UCF is a large public school situated in Orlando, Florida. It awarded 32 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for UCF is $8,618 for journalism students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Journalism at University of Central Florida
