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2023 Best Value Colleges for Journalism in the Far Western US Region (With Aid)

32 Ranked Colleges
2,197 Degrees Awarded
$14,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 Far Western US region, there were 2,197 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,202 and $21,567 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 32 colleges that offer a degree in journalism. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality journalism programs that also have a lower cost than 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region journalism students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Journalism in the Far Western US Region (With Aid)

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 39 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

UW Seattle not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $12,017 for far western us region journalism students with aid per year to attend UW Seattle.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Journalism at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid. California State University - Fresno is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 85 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

Fresno State also took the #18 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $6,230 for far western us region journalism students with aid.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read full report on Journalism at Fresno State

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Long Beach is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 109 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $10,054 for Far Western US Region Journalism students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Read full report on Journalism at CSULB

4
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 170 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $13,845 for far western us region journalism students with aid.

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 89%.

Read full report on Journalism at SDSU

5
UO crest
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Oregon. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. Eugene, Oregon is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 148 students in 2020-2021.

UO also took the #4 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $18,047 for far western us region journalism students with aid per year to attend UO.

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 UO Journalism Report

6

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. CSUN is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 161 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUN also took the #23 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $8,523 for Far Western US Region Journalism students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 more about Journalism at CSUN

7

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 41 students in 2020-2021.

Sac State also took the #20 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Sac State is $11,178 for far western us region journalism students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 Journalism at California State University - Sacramento

8

California State University - Los Angeles came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Cal State LA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 10 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $3,302 for Far Western US Region Journalism students with aid.

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%.

Read full report on Journalism at California State University - Los Angeles

9

With a ranking of #9, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 32 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine also took the #8 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $12,209 for far western us region journalism students with aid per year to attend University of California - Irvine.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Journalism at UC Irvine

10

California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. Carson, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills is $4,026 for far western us region journalism students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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 Journalism at California State University - Dominguez Hills

11
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. San Jose State University is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 52 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region journalism students with aid list, San Jose State has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $16,542 for far western us region journalism students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 San Jose State University Journalism Report

12
San Diego Mesa College crest
San Diego Mesa College
San Diego, California

San Diego Mesa College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. San Diego Mesa College is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 7 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for San Diego Mesa College is $5,573 for Far Western US Region Journalism students with aid.

Read more about Journalism at San Diego Mesa College

13

With a ranking of #13, University of Nevada - Reno did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. UNR is located in Reno, Nevada and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 136 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our far western us region journalism students with aid list, UNR has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Nevada - Reno is $14,930 for Far Western US Region Journalism students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Nevada - Reno Journalism Report

14

California State University - Chico came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Chico is a fairly large public school situated in Chico, California. It awarded 49 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Chico State also made our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #16. The yearly cost to attend Chico State is $16,218 for far western us region journalism students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Journalism at Chico State

15
WWU crest
Western Washington University
Bellingham, Washington

Western Washington University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Western Washington University is located in Bellingham, Washington and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 59 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our far western us region journalism students with aid list, WWU has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Western Washington University is $17,070 for far western us region 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%.

Full WWU Journalism Report

16
Wazzu crest
Washington State University
Pullman, Washington

Washington State University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Pullman, Washington, this large public school handed out 70 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

Wazzu not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Washington State University is $15,300 for Far Western US Region Journalism students with aid.

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 full report on Journalism at Washington State University

17
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 61 students in 2020-2021.

SFSU also took the #19 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $14,459 for far western us region journalism students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Journalism at SFSU

18

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 80 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our far western us region journalism students with aid list, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $20,677 for far western us region journalism students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, 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 undergraduate students.

Read more about Journalism at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

19
CWU crest
Central Washington University
Ellensburg, Washington

Central Washington University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. Located in Ellensburg, Washington, this fairly large public school handed out 9 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

CWU also made our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #21. The estimated yearly cost for Central Washington University is $16,514 for Far Western US Region Journalism students with aid.

Read more about Journalism at CWU

20

University of Alaska Anchorage landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Alaska Anchorage is a fairly large school located in Anchorage, Alaska that handed out 16 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $11,782 for far western us region journalism students with aid per year to attend University of Alaska Anchorage.

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%.

Full UAA Journalism Report

21

With a ranking of #21, University of Hawaii at Manoa did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Honolulu, Hawaii, this fairly large public school awarded 11 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Hawaii at Manoa is $14,687 for Far Western US Region Journalism students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Journalism at UH Manoa

22
23
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. USC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 115 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $32,569 for far western us region journalism students with aid per year to attend USC.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Journalism at USC

24
Humboldt State University crest
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California

Humboldt State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #24. Humboldt State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Arcata, California. It awarded 17 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $14,956 for Far Western US Region Journalism students with aid per year to attend Humboldt State University.

Full Humboldt State University Journalism Report

25
Cal Baptist crest
California Baptist University
Riverside, California

California Baptist University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #25. Cal Baptist is a private not-for-profit institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal Baptist also made our “Best Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #25. The yearly cost to attend California Baptist University is $26,719 for far western us region journalism students with aid.

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 more about Journalism at California Baptist University

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