2023 Best Value Colleges for Communication & Journalism in California (With Aid)
48
Ranked Colleges
18,342
Degrees Awarded
$11,400
Avg Net Price*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 120,571 people earned their degree in communication and journalism, making the major the 11th most popular in the United States. 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.
Across California, there were 18,342 communication and journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,856 and $20,624 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 48 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the communication and 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.
More Ways to Rank Communication & Journalism Schools
The communication & journalism school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid”.
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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Communication & Journalism in California (With Aid)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. Cal State LA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 364 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $3,302 for California Communication & Journalism students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at California State University - Los Angeles
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. California State University - Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 962 ’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.
Cal State Fullerton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $8,003 for california communication & journalism students with aid.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at Cal State Fullerton
Out of the 48 schools in the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #3 spot on the list. UC Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 306 ’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.
UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in California” list. It costs about $15,768 for California Communication & Journalism students with aid per year to attend UC Davis.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of California - Davis Communication & Journalism Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 271 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $15,240 for California Communication & Journalism students with aid.
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 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 full report on Communication & Journalism at UCSD
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school handed out 187 diplomas to qualified ’s communication and journalism students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $6,230 for california communication & journalism students with aid.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Fresno State
With a ranking of #6, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school awarded 477 degrees to qualified ’s communication and journalism students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california communication & journalism students with aid list, UCSB has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $16,252 for california 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 more about Communication & Journalism at UCSB
California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. CSULB is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 550 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $10,054 for california 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 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at California State University - Long Beach
California State University - Sacramento came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 533 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Sac State also made our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in California” list, coming in at #20. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $11,178 for california communication & journalism students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Sacramento Communication & Journalism Report
Stanford University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 55 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Stanford also took the #6 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $12,894 for california communication & journalism students with aid per year to attend Stanford University.
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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at Stanford University
University of California - Berkeley came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s communication and journalism degrees to 308 students in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in California” list. It costs about $16,032 for california communication & journalism students with aid per year to attend UC Berkeley.
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%. 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
With a ranking of #11, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in San Bernardino, California, and it awarded 166 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for CSUSB is $8,107 for california communication & journalism students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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%.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at California State University - San Bernardino
California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. California State University - Northridge is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 955 ’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $8,523 for california communication & journalism students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at California State University - Northridge
California State University - San Marcos ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. CSUSM is located in San Marcos, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 231 ’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.
CSUSM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Marcos is $13,218 for california communication & journalism students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at California State University - San Marcos
San Diego State University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school handed out 531 degrees to qualified ’s communication and journalism students in 2020-2021.
SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $13,845 for california communication & journalism students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 89%.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at SDSU
San Jose State University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Jose State University is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 541 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
San Jose State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in California” list. It costs about $16,542 for California Communication & Journalism students with aid per year to attend San Jose State University.
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%.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at San Jose State University
San Francisco State University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. SFSU is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 598 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california communication & journalism students with aid list, SFSU has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $14,459 for California Communication & 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 San Francisco State University Communication & Journalism Report
California State University - Stanislaus ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Stanislaus is a fairly large school located in Turlock, California that handed out 75 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Stan State is $6,566 for California Communication & Journalism students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, 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 87%.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Stan State
With a ranking of #18, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 199 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $4,026 for california communication & journalism students with aid per year to attend CSUDH.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at California State University - Dominguez Hills
With a ranking of #19, California State University - Bakersfield did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. CSUB is located in Bakersfield, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 109 ’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Bakersfield is $7,454 for California Communication & Journalism students with aid.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at California State University - Bakersfield
University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 32 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california communication & journalism students with aid list, UC Irvine has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $12,209 for california communication & journalism students with aid per year to attend UC Irvine.
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 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 more about Communication & Journalism at University of California - Irvine
California State University - Channel Islands came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Channel Islands is a public institution located in Camarillo, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 146 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
CSUCI also took the #24 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,928 for california communication & journalism students with aid per year to attend California State University - Channel Islands.
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%.
Full CSUCI Communication & Journalism Report
With a ranking of #22, California State University - East Bay did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 154 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Cal State East Bay is $13,298 for california communication & journalism students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Cal State East Bay Communication & Journalism Report
San Diego Mesa College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. San Diego Mesa College is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 75 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $5,573 for California Communication & Journalism students with aid per year to attend San Diego Mesa College.
Full San Diego Mesa College Communication & Journalism Report
California State University - Chico came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Chico, California, and it awarded 151 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.
Chico State also made our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in California” list, coming in at #25. It costs about $16,218 for california communication & journalism students with aid per year to attend California State University - Chico.
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%.
Full Chico State Communication & Journalism Report
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Cal Poly Pomona is a public institution located in Pomona, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 199 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $14,304 for california communication & journalism students with aid per year to attend Cal Poly Pomona.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Communication & Journalism Report
