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2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k

63 Ranked Colleges
2,769 Degrees Awarded
$8,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor's in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Journalism is the 62nd most popular major in the country with 14,528 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, journalism graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $31,042 and had an average of $24,628 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southeast region, there were 3,034 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,329 and $25,516 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,769 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,277 and $25,415 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 63 colleges that offered a degree in journalism. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality journalism 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 journalism program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Journalism (Income $0-$30k) in the Southeast Region

#1

Washington and Lee University

Lexington, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washington and Lee University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Washington and Lee University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lexington, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Washington and Lee also made our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Washington and Lee is $1,612 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Washington and Lee University Journalism Report

#2

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Florida. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Florida is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 130 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UF not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Florida is $1,994 for southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read full report on Journalism at UF

#3

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 63 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #3 spot on the list. 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 18 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UNC Chapel Hill did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $4,026 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Journalism at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Out of the 63 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Central Florida landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Central Florida is a large public school situated in Orlando, Florida. It awarded 49 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

UCF also took the #14 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Central Florida is $6,211 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 more about Journalism at University of Central Florida

#5

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia

Out of the 63 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Georgia landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Athens, Georgia, and it awarded 159 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $0-$30k list, UGA has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Georgia is $7,541 for southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, 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.

Read more about Journalism at University of Georgia

#6

University of Richmond

University of Richmond, Virginia

University of Richmond landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Richmond is a private not-for-profit institution located in University of Richmond, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

URichmond also took the #6 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Richmond is $9,112 for southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full URichmond Journalism Report

#7

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky

With a ranking of #7, Northern Kentucky University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Highland Heights, Kentucky, this fairly large public school handed out 69 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Northern Kentucky University is $4,156 for southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Northern Kentucky University Journalism Report

#8

University of Mississippi

University, Mississippi

University of Mississippi came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Mississippi is a large public school situated in University, Mississippi. It awarded 77 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Ole Miss not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $9,455 for southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Ole Miss.

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

Full Ole Miss Journalism Report

#9

Appalachian State University

Boone, North Carolina

Appalachian State University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Boone, North Carolina, this large public school handed out 33 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

Appalachian State also made our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #23. The yearly cost to attend Appalachian State University is $7,169 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, 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.

Full Appalachian State Journalism Report

#10

West Virginia University

Morgantown, West Virginia

West Virginia University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Morgantown, West Virginia, and it awarded 180 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

WVU also took the #12 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend WVU is $9,213 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full West Virginia University Journalism Report

#11

Marshall University

Huntington, West Virginia

With a ranking of #11, Marshall University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Huntington, West Virginia, this fairly large public school handed out 37 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Marshall University is $5,770 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Marshall University Journalism Report

#12

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Middle Tennessee State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Middle Tennessee State University is a public institution located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The school has a large population, and it awarded 122 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,919 for southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Middle Tennessee State University.

Read more about Journalism at Middle Tennessee State University

#13

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, Arkansas

University of Arkansas ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UARK is a public institution located in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 124 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UARK also took the #10 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $12,094 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UARK.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Journalism at UARK

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is a public institution located in Knoxville, Tennessee. The school has a large population, and it awarded 81 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Knoxville not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UT Knoxville is $10,224 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. 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 Journalism at UT Knoxville

#15

University of South Carolina - Columbia

Columbia, South Carolina

University of South Carolina - Columbia ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Columbia, South Carolina, this large public school handed out 76 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UofSC, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UofSC is $12,426 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 Journalism at University of South Carolina - Columbia

#16

University of Kentucky

Lexington, Kentucky

University of Kentucky ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lexington, Kentucky is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 53 students in 2019-2020.

UK also took the #16 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Kentucky is $11,848 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UK Journalism Report

#17

Radford University

Radford, Virginia

Radford University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Radford University is a fairly large school located in Radford, Virginia that handed out 57 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,071 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Radford.

Full Radford University Journalism Report

#18

Kentucky State University

Frankfort, Kentucky

With a ranking of #18, Kentucky State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. KY State is located in Frankfort, Kentucky and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend KY State is $6,646 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full KY State Journalism Report

#19

Savannah State University

Savannah, Georgia

Savannah State University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Savannah State University is a public institution located in Savannah, Georgia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 56 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Savannah State University is $8,933 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Savannah State University Journalism Report

#20

Georgia College & State University

Milledgeville, Georgia

Georgia College & State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Georgia College is located in Milledgeville, Georgia and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 81 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $0-$30k list, Georgia College has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Georgia College & State University is $13,092 for southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 Journalism at Georgia College & State University

#21

Georgia Southern University

Statesboro, Georgia

Georgia Southern University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Statesboro, Georgia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 33 students in 2019-2020.

GaSou did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Georgia Southern University is $12,378 for southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Journalism at GaSou

With a ranking of #22, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Tallahassee, Florida, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University is $13,139 for southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Journalism at Florida A&M University

#23

University of Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee

University of Memphis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. This large school is located in Memphis, Tennessee, and it awarded 44 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Memphis is $10,256 for southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full University of Memphis Journalism Report

#24

Western Kentucky University

Bowling Green, Kentucky

Western Kentucky University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Bowling Green, Kentucky is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 84 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for WKU is $11,714 for southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Journalism at WKU

#25

Murray State University

Murray, Kentucky

Murray State University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Murray, Kentucky, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Murray State is $8,839 for southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Journalism at Murray 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 Jfurrer.

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