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2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k

56 Ranked Colleges
2,817 Degrees Awarded
$9,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Journalism Schools 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. 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 in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 13,552 people earned their degree in journalism, making the major the 69th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, journalism graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $32,953 and had an average of $23,734 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southeast region, there were 2,817 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,148 and $24,945 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 56 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in journalism. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality journalism programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the journalism program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k

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

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

1
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Florida. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UF is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 123 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UF, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Florida is $65 for southeast region journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full UF Journalism Report

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k. UNC Chapel Hill is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 15 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

UNC Chapel Hill not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $3,753 for Southeast Region Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 UNC Chapel Hill Journalism Report

3
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University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Georgia. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Athens, Georgia, and it awarded 181 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

UGA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UGA is $8,303 for southeast region journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad 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 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Journalism at UGA

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of South Florida - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Tampa, Florida, and it awarded 19 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

USF Tampa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend USF Tampa is $4,176 for southeast region journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Journalism at University of South Florida - Main Campus

5
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Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, Kentucky

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Kentucky University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Highland Heights, Kentucky is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 50 students in 2020-2021.

NKU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend NKU is $4,632 for Southeast Region Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Northern Kentucky University Journalism Report

6

University of Central Florida landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Central Florida is located in Orlando, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 32 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

UCF also took the #14 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Central Florida is $4,468 for Southeast Region Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad 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 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Journalism at University of Central Florida

7
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West Virginia University
Morgantown, West Virginia

With a ranking of #7, West Virginia University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Morgantown, West Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 176 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our southeast region journalism students whose families make $0-$30k list, WVU has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for West Virginia University is $10,014 for southeast region journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Journalism at WVU

8
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University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas

University of Arkansas did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. University of Arkansas is a large public school situated in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It awarded 146 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

UARK not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Arkansas is $12,003 for southeast region journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, 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 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Journalism at University of Arkansas

9
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Appalachian State University
Boone, North Carolina

With a ranking of #9, Appalachian State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Boone, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 41 students in 2020-2021.

Appalachian State also took the #20 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Appalachian State University is $7,354 for Southeast Region Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, 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 86%.

Full Appalachian State University Journalism Report

10
Ole Miss crest
University of Mississippi
University, Mississippi

With a ranking of #10, University of Mississippi did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Mississippi is located in University, Mississippi and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 64 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our southeast region journalism students whose families make $0-$30k list, Ole Miss has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Mississippi is $7,764 for southeast region journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Full Ole Miss Journalism Report

11

With a ranking of #11, University of South Carolina - Columbia did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Columbia, South Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 94 students in 2020-2021.

UofSC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of South Carolina - Columbia is $12,130 for Southeast Region Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Journalism at University of South Carolina - Columbia

12
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Marshall University
Huntington, West Virginia

Marshall University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Marshall University is a public institution located in Huntington, West Virginia. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 33 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Marshall University is $5,377 for Southeast Region Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Marshall University Journalism Report

13

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is a large school located in Knoxville, Tennessee that handed out 106 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our southeast region journalism students whose families make $0-$30k list, UT Knoxville has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $10,433 for Southeast Region Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The University of Tennessee - Knoxville.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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%.

Full UT Knoxville Journalism Report

14
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University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky

With a ranking of #14, University of Kentucky did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UK is located in Lexington, Kentucky and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 36 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

UK also took the #12 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UK is $12,593 for Southeast Region Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full UK Journalism Report

15
UofM crest
University of Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee

University of Memphis did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. University of Memphis is located in Memphis, Tennessee and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 58 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

UofM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Memphis is $11,084 for Southeast Region Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Journalism at UofM

16
WKU crest
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, Kentucky

Western Kentucky University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. This fairly large school is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and it awarded 65 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

WKU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for WKU is $12,195 for southeast region journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Journalism at Western Kentucky University

17
Middle Tennessee State University crest
Middle Tennessee State University
Murfreesboro, Tennessee

With a ranking of #17, Middle Tennessee State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Middle Tennessee State University is a large public school situated in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. It awarded 88 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $8,763 for southeast region journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Middle Tennessee State University.

Read more about Journalism at Middle Tennessee State University

18
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Murray State University
Murray, Kentucky

Murray State University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Murray, Kentucky, this medium-sized public school handed out 6 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $9,339 for southeast region journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Murray State University.

Full Murray State University Journalism Report

19
Georgia State crest
Georgia State University
Atlanta, Georgia

Georgia State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. This large school is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and it awarded 179 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our southeast region journalism students whose families make $0-$30k list, Georgia State has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Georgia State is $15,197 for southeast region journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Georgia State Journalism Report

20
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Harding University
Searcy, Arkansas

Harding University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Searcy, Arkansas, and it awarded 12 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Harding did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $15,856 for Southeast Region Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Harding.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read more about Journalism at Harding

21
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The University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama

The University of Alabama did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #21. UA is a public institution located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The school has a large population, and it awarded 128 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UA, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Alabama is $17,523 for southeast region journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read full report on Journalism at The University of Alabama

22

Arkansas State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. A-State is a fairly large public school situated in Jonesboro, Arkansas. It awarded 10 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $12,120 for Southeast Region Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Arkansas State University - Main Campus.

The low undergrad 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 more about Journalism at A-State

23
Georgia College crest
Georgia College & State University
Milledgeville, Georgia

Georgia College & State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Milledgeville, Georgia, this medium-sized public school awarded 75 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Georgia College is $16,203 for southeast region journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Georgia College & State University Journalism Report

24
KSU Georgia crest
Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw, Georgia

With a ranking of #24, Kennesaw State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Kennesaw, Georgia, and it awarded 48 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend KSU Georgia is $15,490 for southeast region journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%.

Full Kennesaw State University Journalism Report

25
Radford crest
Radford University
Radford, Virginia

Radford University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. This medium-sized school is located in Radford, Virginia, and it awarded 41 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Radford is $11,420 for Southeast Region Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Journalism at Radford University

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