by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major” 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.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major” ranking analyzed 504 colleges that offered a degree in journalism. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their journalism program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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.
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. 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 be in good company if you decide to attend Rust College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Located in Holly Springs, Mississippi, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 17 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bennett College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Bennett is a private not-for-profit institution located in Greensboro, North Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Out of the 504 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Patrick Henry College landed the #3 spot on the list. Patrick Henry College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Purcellville, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Emerson College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. This medium-sized school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 130 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 504 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major that were part of this year’s ranking, St. Bonaventure University landed the #5 spot on the list. St. Bonaventure is a small school located in Saint Bonaventure, New York that handed out 56 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
The King’s College landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. TKC is a small school located in New York, New York that handed out 9 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.
Kentucky State University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. Kentucky State University is a small school located in Frankfort, Kentucky that handed out 14 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Savannah State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking, coming in at #8. Savannah State University is a small school located in Savannah, Georgia that handed out 42 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Universidad del Sagrado Corazon landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. Sagrado is a private not-for-profit institution located in Santurce, . The school has a small population, and it awarded 47 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
With a ranking of #10, University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Mizzou is a large public school situated in Columbia, Missouri. It awarded 488 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, 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%.
Stillman College landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. Stillman College is a small school located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama that handed out 6 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Central State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. Central State University is located in Wilberforce, Ohio and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
With a ranking of #13, Hampton University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. This small school is located in Hampton, Virginia, and it awarded 40 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Morgan State University ranked #14 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Baltimore, Maryland is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 65 students in 2020-2021.
Georgia College & State University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. Georgia College & State University is a public institution located in Milledgeville, Georgia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 75 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of West Georgia came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. University of West Georgia is a fairly large school located in Carrollton, Georgia that handed out 117 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
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 48 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Norman, Oklahoma, this large public school awarded 279 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
University of Kansas came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. University of Kansas is a large school located in Lawrence, Kansas that handed out 257 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Lincoln University ranked #20 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. LU Missouri is located in Jefferson City, Missouri and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.
North Greenville University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking, coming in at #21. 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 16 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.
With a ranking of #22, Olivet College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Located in Olivet, Michigan, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 7 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.
Syracuse University landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. Syracuse is a private not-for-profit institution located in Syracuse, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 233 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, 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%.
With a ranking of #24, Columbia College Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major list. Columbia College Chicago is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 43 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Samford University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Journalism Major ranking. Samford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Birmingham, Alabama. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 52 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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
