by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Journalism is the 69th most popular major in the country with 12,911 degrees awarded in 2021-2022. In , journalism graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $32,980 and had an average of $23,933 in loans still to pay off.
For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major” ranking, we looked at 504 colleges that offer a degree in journalism. That schools that top this list have a program in journalism in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Rust College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major. Located in Holly Springs, Mississippi, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 30 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Bennett College. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major. Located in Greensboro, North Carolina, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 9 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2021-2022.
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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Patrick Henry College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Patrick Henry College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Purcellville, Virginia. It awarded 7 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Out of the 504 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Emerson College landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 121 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend St. Bonaventure University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. St. Bonaventure University is located in Saint Bonaventure, New York and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 40 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
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 ranking of #6, The King’s College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. TKC is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 11 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.
Kentucky State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. KY State is a public institution located in Frankfort, Kentucky. The school has a small population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Savannah State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. Savannah State University is a public institution located in Savannah, Georgia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 33 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Universidad del Sagrado Corazon landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. This small school is located in Santurce, Puerto Rico, and it awarded 34 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Journalism at Universidad del Sagrado Corazon
University of Missouri - Columbia landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. This large school is located in Columbia, Missouri, and it awarded 449 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.
Stillman College ranked #11 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Stillman College is a small school located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama that handed out 1 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.
With a ranking of #12, Central State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Central State University is a medium-sized school located in Wilberforce, Ohio that handed out 21 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
Hampton University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. Located in Hampton, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 64 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Morgan State University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. Morgan State University is located in Baltimore, Maryland and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 44 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
With a ranking of #15, Georgia College & State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Milledgeville, Georgia is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 83 students in 2021-2022.
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%.
University of West Georgia landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. University of West Georgia is a public institution located in Carrollton, Georgia. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 111 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #17, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania is a medium-sized school located in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania that handed out 0 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
Read more about Journalism at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking, coming in at #18. University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is located in Norman, Oklahoma and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 271 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Kansas landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. University of Kansas is located in Lawrence, Kansas and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 242 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%.
Lincoln University ranked #20 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Lincoln University is a small school located in Jefferson City, Missouri that handed out 5 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
North Greenville University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. Tigerville, South Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 10 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #22, Olivet College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Olivet College is located in Olivet, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 13 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Syracuse University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking, coming in at #23. Syracuse, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 193 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Columbia College Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking, coming in at #24. Columbia College Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 25 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
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%.
With a ranking of #25, Samford University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Samford University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Birmingham, Alabama. It awarded 39 ’s journalism degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Point Park University | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 52 | Ohio University - Athens Campus | Athens, OH |
| 53 | University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras | San Juan, PR |
| 54 | University of Nebraska - Lincoln | Lincoln, NE |
| 55 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities | Minneapolis, MN |
| 56 | University of Wisconsin - Whitewater | Whitewater, WI |
| 57 | Radford University | Radford, VA |
| 58 | University of Iowa | Iowa City, IA |
| 59 | University of Arkansas at Little Rock | Little Rock, AR |
| 60 | Hofstra University | Hempstead, NY |
| 61 | Asbury University | Wilmore, KY |
| 62 | Colorado State University - Fort Collins | Fort Collins, CO |
| 63 | San Diego State University | San Diego, CA |
| 64 | Elon University | Elon, NC |
| 65 | Drury University | Springfield, MO |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | Texas Southern University | Houston, TX |
| 67 | Augustana College | Rock Island, IL |
| 68 | Western Washington University | Bellingham, WA |
| 69 | University of Scranton | Scranton, PA |
| 70 | Baylor University | Waco, TX |
| 71 | Western Kentucky University | Bowling Green, KY |
| 72 | California State University - Northridge | Northridge, CA |
| 73 | California State University - Fresno | Fresno, CA |
| 74 | The University of Tennessee - Knoxville | Knoxville, TN |
| 75 | Kansas State University | Manhattan, KS |
| 76 | University of Georgia | Athens, GA |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
