Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Communication & Journalism

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Journalism (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region

88 Ranked Colleges
14,424 Degrees Awarded
$7,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Communication & Journalism is the 11th most popular major in the country with 121,387 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, communication and journalism graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,549 and had an average of $24,893 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 22,915 communication and journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,195 and $22,163 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 14,424 communication and journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 88 colleges that offered a degree in communication and journalism. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality communication and journalism programs that also have a lower cost than 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Communication & 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 Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Journalism (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also took the #3 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $-1,387 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k. When an average net price is negative, it usually means that the student will receive more financial aid than it costs to attend the school.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at Stanford

#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 284 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $8,392 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at UC Berkeley

#7 in overall quality

Out of the 88 schools in the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. UW Seattle is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 503 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $7,850 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Communication & Journalism Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Cal State Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 919 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $4,291 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cal State Fullerton.

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 low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 California State University - Fullerton

Out of the 88 schools in the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 364 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communication and journalism students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $1,379 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

The 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 more about Communication & Journalism at Cal State LA

#6

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#5 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school handed out 517 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communication and journalism students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSB is $10,316 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at UCSB

#6 in overall quality

University of California - Davis ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UC Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 323 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $9,842 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Davis.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at University of California - Davis

With a ranking of #8, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Fresno State is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 215 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $3,264 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Fresno State Communication & Journalism Report

#9

Pitzer College

Claremont, California
#8 in overall quality

Pitzer College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k list, Pitzer has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Pitzer is $15,922 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at Pitzer

California State University - Long Beach came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. CSULB is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 512 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $6,364 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at CSULB

#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 239 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD also took the #10 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $9,280 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UCSD Communication & Journalism Report

California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 192 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUDH is $2,455 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 CSUDH

University of California - Irvine landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 36 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,558 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Irvine.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, 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 students.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at UC Irvine

#14

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington
#21 in overall quality

Washington State University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Pullman, Washington, this large public school handed out 475 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communication and journalism students in 2019-2020.

Wazzu not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $9,334 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Wazzu.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Washington State University Communication & Journalism Report

California State University - Stanislaus came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Turlock, California, and it awarded 76 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Stan State is $3,410 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Stan State

#16

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 428 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,870 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Diego State University.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at SDSU

With a ranking of #17, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSUN is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 899 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $5,945 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at CSUN

California State University - Bakersfield did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. This fairly large school is located in Bakersfield, California, and it awarded 98 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Bakersfield is $3,423 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

California State University - Sacramento ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Sac State is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 570 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,819 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Sacramento.

The 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 full report on Communication & Journalism at California State University - Sacramento

University of Nevada - Las Vegas came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UNLV is located in Las Vegas, Nevada and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 237 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend University of Nevada - Las Vegas is $9,378 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full University of Nevada - Las Vegas Communication & Journalism Report

#21

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

With a ranking of #21, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSUSB is a fairly large public school situated in San Bernardino, California. It awarded 206 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Bernardino is $5,077 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full CSUSB Communication & Journalism Report

#13 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees to 138 students in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also took the #13 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $12,475 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, 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 94%.

Full Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Communication & Journalism Report

California State University - San Marcos did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. Located in San Marcos, California, this fairly large public school awarded 278 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communication and journalism students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUSM is $9,517 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full CSUSM Communication & Journalism Report

#24

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington

Western Washington University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Western Washington University is a public institution located in Bellingham, Washington. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 166 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Western Washington University is $9,743 for far western us region bachelor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Full Western Washington University Communication & Journalism Report

#25

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington

Eastern Washington University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. EWU is a fairly large school located in Cheney, Washington that handed out 106 bachelors’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Eastern Washington University is $8,473 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Communication & Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at Eastern Washington University

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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

Featured Communications / Public Relations Schools

Find Schools Near You