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2023 Best Value Colleges for Communication & Journalism (With Aid)

667 Ranked Colleges
120,571 Degrees Awarded
$9,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools 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. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Communication & Journalism is the 11th most popular major in the country with 120,571 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, communication and journalism graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $34,266 and had an average of $24,758 in loans still to pay off.

This year’s “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 667 colleges that offered a degree in communication and journalism. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great communication and journalism programs and cost less that 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 communication and journalism program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Communication & Journalism Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
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More Communication & Journalism Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid” 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for communication & journalism students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Communication & Journalism (With Aid)

1

Out of the 667 schools in the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #1 spot on the list. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 696 ’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNC Chapel Hill, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools” ranking. It costs about $12,469 for communication & journalism students with aid per year to attend UNC Chapel Hill.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s communication and journalism degrees to 544 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW Seattle is also in the top of our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $12,017 for Communication & Journalism students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at UW Seattle

3
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Central New Mexico Community College
Albuquerque, New Mexico

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central New Mexico Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid list. CNM is a fairly large school located in Albuquerque, New Mexico that handed out 87 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for CNM is $3,322 for communication & journalism students with aid.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at CNM

4
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University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

Out of the 667 schools in the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the #4 spot on the list. UF is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 888 ’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UF also did well on our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools” list. It costs about $5,135 for communication & journalism students with aid per year to attend University of Florida.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at UF

5
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Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

Out of the 667 schools in the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. Purdue is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 391 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Purdue, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,377 for Communication & Journalism students with aid per year to attend Purdue.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 Communication & Journalism at Purdue

6
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Hunter College
New York, New York

Hunter College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Hunter is a large school located in New York, New York that handed out 164 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Hunter is $2,158 for communication & journalism students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Hunter

7

With a ranking of #7, Fashion Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid list. FIT SUNY is a medium-sized public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 598 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

FIT SUNY also claimed a top spot on our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Fashion Institute of Technology is $10,389 for communication & journalism students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, 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 88%.

Full Fashion Institute of Technology Communication & Journalism Report

8

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 277 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for U-M is $14,878 for Communication & Journalism students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at U-M

8
IU Bloomington crest
Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana

Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. IU Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 593 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, IU Bloomington is in the top on our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools” list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend IU Bloomington is $14,619 for communication & journalism students with aid.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at Indiana University - Bloomington

10
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Baruch College
New York, New York

Baruch College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in New York, New York, this fairly large public school awarded 103 diplomas to qualified ’s communication and journalism students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $2,264 for Communication & Journalism students with aid per year to attend Baruch.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at Baruch College

11

University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid list. UW - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 803 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - Madison did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools” list. It costs about $17,234 for communication & journalism students with aid per year to attend UW - Madison.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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%.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Madison

12

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 627 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools” list. It costs about $14,321 for Communication & Journalism students with aid per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, 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.

Full UIUC Communication & Journalism Report

13

University of South Florida - Main Campus came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of South Florida - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Tampa, Florida. It awarded 610 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, USF Tampa is also in the top of our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of South Florida - Main Campus is $8,346 for Communication & 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%. 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 Communication & Journalism at USF Tampa

14

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. UT Rio Grande Valley is a large public school situated in Edinburg, Texas. It awarded 145 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for UT Rio Grande Valley is $3,743 for communication & journalism students with aid.

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%.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

15

California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 364 degrees to qualified ’s communication and journalism students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $3,302 for Communication & Journalism students with aid per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.

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 more about Communication & Journalism at California State University - Los Angeles

16

California State University - Fullerton ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 962 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fullerton is $8,003 for Communication & 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 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at California State University - Fullerton

17

With a ranking of #17, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school awarded 1,421 diplomas to qualified ’s communication and journalism students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our communication & journalism students with aid list, UT Austin has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools” ranking. It costs about $18,350 for Communication & Journalism students with aid per year to attend UT Austin.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at UT Austin

18

University of California - Davis landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Davis, California, this large public school handed out 306 degrees to qualified ’s communication and journalism students in 2020-2021.

UC Davis also made our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools” list, coming in at #24. The yearly cost to attend UC Davis is $15,768 for communication & journalism students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 more about Communication & Journalism at University of California - Davis

19
UMSL crest
University of Missouri - St Louis
Saint Louis, Missouri

University of Missouri - St Louis ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid list. UMSL is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 115 ’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend UMSL is $12,232 for communication & journalism students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at UMSL

20
Brooklyn College crest
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, New York

With a ranking of #20, Brooklyn College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Brooklyn, New York, this fairly large public school handed out 160 diplomas to qualified ’s communication and journalism students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Brooklyn College is $3,067 for communication & journalism students with aid.

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%.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Brooklyn College

21

University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #21. University of California - San Diego is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 271 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSD also claimed a top spot on our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $15,240 for Communication & Journalism students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at University of California - San Diego

22
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The City College of New York
New York, New York

With a ranking of #22, The City College of New York did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid list. New York, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s communication and journalism degrees to 133 students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $2,805 for communication & journalism students with aid per year to attend CCNY.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 Communication & Journalism at CCNY

23
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Queens College
Queens, New York

Queens College landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Queens, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s communication and journalism degrees to 128 students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $3,469 for communication & journalism students with aid per year to attend Queens College.

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 full report on Communication & Journalism at Queens College

24

California State University - Fresno landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Fresno State is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 187 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $6,230 for communication & 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full California State University - Fresno Communication & Journalism Report

25

With a ranking of #25, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s communication and journalism degrees to 477 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCSB is $16,252 for communication & journalism students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at UCSB

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
27
28
29
30
Nassau Community College crest
Nassau Community College
Garden City, New York
31
32
33
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University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
34
35
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Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida
36
37
38
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Stanford University
Stanford, California
39
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan
40
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University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia
41
42
43
44
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University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
45
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University of North Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
46
Appalachian State crest
Appalachian State University
Boone, North Carolina
47
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Berea College
Berea, Kentucky
48
49
50
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University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools For Those Getting Aid

While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

Rank College Location
51 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
52 University of Delaware Newark, DE
53 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
54 Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY
55 Utah Valley University Orem, UT
56 California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA
57 Brigham Young University - Idaho Rexburg, ID
58 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
59 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
60 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
61 Iowa State University Ames, IA
62 East Carolina University Greenville, NC
63 University of Phoenix - Arizona Tempe, AZ
64 Arizona State University - Skysong Scottsdale, AZ
65 The University of West Florida Pensacola, FL
Rank College Location
66 Texas A&M International University Laredo, TX
67 Ball State University Muncie, IN
68 West Virginia University Morgantown, WV
69 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
70 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC
71 California State University - San Marcos San Marcos, CA
72 Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, KY
73 Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO
74 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
75 Boise State University Boise, ID
76 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI
77 University of Wisconsin - La Crosse La Crosse, WI
78 LaGuardia Community College Long Island City, NY
79 Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN
80 San Jose State University San Jose, CA
81 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
82 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
83 University of North Texas Denton, TX
84 University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE
85 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
86 Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX
87 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
87 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
89 University of Michigan - Dearborn Dearborn, MI
90 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
Rank College Location
91 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
92 Northwestern University Evanston, IL
93 California State University - Stanislaus Turlock, CA
94 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
95 Florida State College at Jacksonville Jacksonville, FL
96 California State University - Dominguez Hills Carson, CA
97 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC
98 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
99 California State University - Bakersfield Bakersfield, CA
100 Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers, FL
101 Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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