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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Journalism in the Southeast Region (With Aid)

63 Ranked Colleges
2,769 Degrees Awarded
$13,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor's in the Southeast Region 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. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 14,528 people earned their degree in journalism, making the major the 62nd most popular in the United States. 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 Getting Aid” ranking looked at 63 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in journalism. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great 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 journalism program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Journalism Schools

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 Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Journalism in the Southeast Region (With Aid)

#1

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida

Out of the 63 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the #1 spot on the list. UF is a large public school situated in Gainesville, Florida. It awarded 130 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid list, UF has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UF is $6,302 for southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.

Read more about Journalism at University of Florida

#2

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina
#5 in overall quality

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 for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid. UNC Chapel Hill is a large public school situated in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It awarded 18 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

UNC Chapel Hill not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $12,352 for southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

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

Full UNC Chapel Hill Journalism Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Central Florida. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid. University of Central Florida is located in Orlando, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 49 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

UCF not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $10,274 for southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid per year to attend UCF.

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 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 Journalism at UCF

#4

West Virginia University

Morgantown, West Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend West Virginia University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. Morgantown, West Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 180 students in 2019-2020.

WVU also made our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for West Virginia University is $12,983 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.

Read more about Journalism at West Virginia University

#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 Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Georgia landed the #5 spot on the list. Athens, Georgia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 159 students in 2019-2020.

UGA also made our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend UGA is $13,649 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Journalism at University of Georgia

#6

Appalachian State University

Boone, North Carolina

With a ranking of #6, Appalachian State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. Appalachian State is located in Boone, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 33 bachelors’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

Appalachian State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Appalachian State University is $13,920 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Journalism at Appalachian State University

#7

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky

Northern Kentucky University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. NKU is a public institution located in Highland Heights, Kentucky. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 69 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend NKU is $9,049 for southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

Read more about Journalism at Northern Kentucky University

#8

University of Mississippi

University, Mississippi

University of Mississippi did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. Ole Miss is a public institution located in University, Mississippi. The school has a large population, and it awarded 77 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Ole Miss also made our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend University of Mississippi is $14,016 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.

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

Read full report on Journalism at Ole Miss

#9

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

With a ranking of #9, Middle Tennessee State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, this large public school awarded 122 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,464 for southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid per year to attend Middle Tennessee State University.

Read full report on Journalism at Middle Tennessee State University

#10

Marshall University

Huntington, West Virginia

With a ranking of #10, Marshall University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. Marshall University is a public institution located in Huntington, West Virginia. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,370 for southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid per year to attend Marshall University.

Full Marshall University Journalism Report

#11

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, Arkansas

University of Arkansas came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Arkansas is a large public school situated in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It awarded 124 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

UARK also made our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for University of Arkansas is $16,381 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism 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.

Read full report on Journalism at UARK

#12

Washington and Lee University

Lexington, Virginia

With a ranking of #12, Washington and Lee University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. Washington and Lee is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lexington, Virginia. It awarded 7 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Washington and Lee not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Washington and Lee is $22,615 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, 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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Washington and Lee Journalism Report

#13

Western Kentucky University

Bowling Green, Kentucky

Western Kentucky University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. WKU is a fairly large public school situated in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It awarded 84 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Western Kentucky University is $11,962 for southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

Full WKU Journalism Report

#14

Savannah State University

Savannah, Georgia

Savannah State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. Savannah State University is a small public school situated in Savannah, Georgia. It awarded 56 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Savannah State University is $10,220 for southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

Read full report on Journalism at Savannah State University

#15

Kentucky State University

Frankfort, Kentucky

Kentucky State University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. KY State is a public institution located in Frankfort, Kentucky. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for KY State is $7,076 for southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

Full Kentucky State University Journalism Report

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Florida A&M University is a public institution located in Tallahassee, Florida. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,060 for southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid per year to attend Florida A&M University.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Florida A&M University Journalism Report

#17

Georgia Southern University

Statesboro, Georgia

Georgia Southern University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Georgia Southern University is a public institution located in Statesboro, Georgia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s degrees 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. It costs about $15,536 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid per year to attend Georgia Southern University.

Read more about Journalism at GaSou

#18

University of Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee

With a ranking of #18, University of Memphis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. UofM is a public institution located in Memphis, Tennessee. The school has a large population, and it awarded 44 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Memphis is $13,248 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid.

Full University of Memphis Journalism Report

#19

Radford University

Radford, Virginia

Radford University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Radford, Virginia, this fairly large public school handed out 57 degrees to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Radford University is $16,447 for southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

Full Radford University Journalism Report

#20

Georgia College & State University

Milledgeville, Georgia

Georgia College & State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. Milledgeville, Georgia is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s journalism degrees to 81 students in 2019-2020.

Georgia College also took the #8 spot in our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Georgia College is $19,691 for southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

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 State University

Atlanta, Georgia

Georgia State University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, this large public school awarded 207 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

Georgia State also made our “Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #20. It costs about $13,953 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid per year to attend Georgia State.

Read full report on Journalism at Georgia State University

#22

University of West Georgia

Carrollton, Georgia

University of West Georgia landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of West Georgia is a public institution located in Carrollton, Georgia. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 131 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $16,124 for southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid per year to attend University of West Georgia.

Read more about Journalism at University of West Georgia

#23

University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Little Rock, Arkansas

With a ranking of #23, University of Arkansas at Little Rock did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Little Rock, Arkansas, and it awarded 29 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UA Little Rock is $14,906 for southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

Read more about Journalism at UA Little Rock

#24

Murray State University

Murray, Kentucky

With a ranking of #24, Murray State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Murray, Kentucky, this medium-sized public school handed out 10 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,390 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Journalism students with aid per year to attend Murray State University.

Read full report on Journalism at Murray State

University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is $12,320 for southeast region bachelor’s degree journalism students with aid.

Read full report on Journalism at University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

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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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