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2023 Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California

186 Ranked Colleges
18,342 Degrees Awarded
$33,100 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 “Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California” ranking looked at 186 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in communication and journalism. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in communication and journalism.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 “Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California”.

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.

Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California”.

1

Out of the 186 schools in the Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school awarded 962 degrees to qualified ’s communication and journalism students in 2020-2021.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Cal State Fullerton

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California list. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s communication and journalism degrees to 955 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at CSUN

3
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University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California. University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 908 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 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 91%.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at USC

4
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San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

Out of the 186 schools in the Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Francisco State University landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 598 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at San Francisco State University

5

Out of the 186 schools in the Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school awarded 550 degrees to qualified ’s communication and journalism students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at California State University - Long Beach

6
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San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California ranking. San Jose State is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 541 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at San Jose State

7

With a ranking of #7, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California list. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school awarded 533 degrees to qualified ’s communication and journalism students in 2020-2021.

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%.

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

8
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San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California ranking, coming in at #8. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s communication and journalism degrees to 531 students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full San Diego State University Communication & Journalism Report

9

University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California list. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school handed out 477 degrees to qualified ’s communication and journalism students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at University of California - Santa Barbara

10

California State University - Los Angeles came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California ranking. Cal State LA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 364 ’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.

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 full report on Communication & Journalism at California State University - Los Angeles

11

University of California - Berkeley ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California list. UC Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 308 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

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 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%.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at UC Berkeley

12

University of California - Davis ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s communication and journalism degrees to 306 students in 2020-2021.

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 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%.

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

13

University of California - San Diego ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California list. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school awarded 271 degrees to qualified ’s communication and journalism students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

14
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Long Beach City College
Long Beach, California

Long Beach City College landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California ranking. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 235 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Long Beach City College

14

California State University - San Marcos did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California ranking, coming in at #14. California State University - San Marcos is a fairly large school located in San Marcos, California that handed out 231 ’s communication and journalism degrees 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%.

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

16
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Santa Monica College
Santa Monica, California

Santa Monica College landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California ranking. Santa Monica College is a large school located in Santa Monica, California that handed out 231 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Santa Monica College

17
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Pasadena City College
Pasadena, California

Pasadena City College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California ranking, coming in at #17. Pasadena City College is a large school located in Pasadena, California that handed out 207 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at Pasadena City College

18

With a ranking of #18, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California list. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a public institution located in Carson, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 199 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

18

With a ranking of #18, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California list. This large school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 199 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at Cal Poly Pomona

20
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Chapman University
Orange, California

With a ranking of #20, Chapman University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California list. This medium-sized school is located in Orange, California, and it awarded 192 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at Chapman University

21

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California ranking, coming in at #21. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s communication and journalism degrees to 191 students in 2020-2021.

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 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Communication & Journalism Report

22
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Pepperdine University
Malibu, California

With a ranking of #22, Pepperdine University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California list. Pepperdine University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Malibu, California. It awarded 190 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

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 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 Pepperdine University

22
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Fullerton College
Fullerton, California

Fullerton College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California ranking, coming in at #22. Fullerton College is a fairly large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 195 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at Fullerton College

24

California State University - Fresno landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California ranking. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s communication and journalism degrees to 187 students in 2020-2021.

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%. 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 California State University - Fresno

25

With a ranking of #25, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 185 diplomas to qualified ’s communication and journalism students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at UCLA

Rest of the Best 28 in Most Well Attended Communication & Journalism Major in California

Not only did these schools make the top 28 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
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Mt. San Antonio College
Walnut, California
27
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Santa Barbara City College
Santa Barbara, California
28
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Chaffey College
Rancho Cucamonga, California

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Notes and References

References

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