2023 Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Communication & Media Studies School for You
In 2020-2021, 66,787 communication and media studies students received their degrees and certificates, making the major the #10 most popular in the country.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 683 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best value experiences for communications students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality in Communication & Media Studies
Our analysis found La Salle University to be the best value school for communication and media studies students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. La Salle is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at La Salle are $33,150 per year. The average amount in student loans that communications majors at La Salle take out is $27,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $459, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Columbia College Chicago is a great value for communication and media studies students. Located in the city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
Columbia undergraduate students pay an average of $27,786 in tuition and fees each year.
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The excellent programs at Colorado State University - Global Campus helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best communication and media studies schools in the United States. Located in the city of Greenwood Village, Colorado State University - Global Campus is a public school with a large student population.
Colorado State University - Global Campus undergraduate students pay an average of $8,400 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, communications majors at Colorado State University - Global Campus accumulate an average of around $31,905 in student debt.
In addition to its great value ranking, Colorado State University - Global Campus is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Communication & Media Studies Schools list.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Brigham Young University - Provo. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools list. Located in the midsize city of Provo, BYU is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at BYU are $6,120 a year.
BYU excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Communication & Media Studies Schools list.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Brigham Young University - Idaho. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools list. Located in the distant town of Rexburg, BYU - I is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
BYU - I undergraduate students pay an average of $4,416 in tuition and fees each year. Communications majors at BYU - I take out an average of $14,750 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Central New Mexico Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools ranking. CNM is a large public school located in the city of Albuquerque.
CNM undergraduate students pay an average of $7,540 in tuition and fees each year. On average, communications graduates from CNM take out $6,430 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Drake University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for communication and media studies students. It came in at #7 on the list. Drake is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Des Moines.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Drake are $45,912 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Drake also is in the top 5% of our Best Communication & Media Studies Schools ranking.
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Bellevue University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools ranking. Bellevue University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Bellevue.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Bellevue University are $8,310 a year. After completing their degree, communications graduates from Bellevue University carry an average student debtload of $26,083.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Bellevue University also is in the top 10% of our Best Communication & Media Studies Schools ranking.
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University of Phoenix - Arizona did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for communication and media studies students. It came in at #8 on the list. UOPX - Arizona is a very large private for-profit school located in the city of Tempe.
UOPX - Arizona undergraduate students pay an average of $9,552 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, communications majors at UOPX - Arizona accumulate an average of around $44,875 in student debt.
UOPX - Arizona also claimed a spot on our Best Communication & Media Studies Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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LaGuardia Community College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value communication and media studies programs. Located in the city of Long Island City, LaGuardia is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LaGuardia are $8,098 per year. On average, communications graduates from LaGuardia take out $6,461 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Wayne State College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for communication and media studies students. It came in at #11 on the list. WSC is a small public school located in the distant town of Wayne.
WSC undergraduate students pay an average of $7,458 in tuition and fees each year. On average, communications graduates from WSC take out $23,407 in student loans while working on their degree.
In addition to its great value ranking, WSC is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Communication & Media Studies Schools list.
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University of Maryland Global Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for communication and media studies students. It came in at #12 on the list. UMGC is a very large public school located in the suburb of Adelphi.
UMGC undergraduate students pay an average of $12,336 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, communications graduates from UMGC carry an average student debtload of $26,897.
UMGC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Communication & Media Studies Schools list.
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Metropolitan State University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value communication and media studies programs. Located in the large city of Saint Paul, Metro State is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Metro State undergraduate students pay an average of $9,394 in tuition and fees each year. Communications majors at Metro State take out an average of $34,724 in student loans while working on their egree.
In addition to its great value ranking, Metro State is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Communication & Media Studies Schools list.
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With a ranking of #14, The Graduate Center, CUNY did quite well on this year’s best value schools for communication and media studies students. Located in the large city of New York, The Graduate Center is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at The Graduate Center are $15,360 a year. While working on their degree, communications majors at The Graduate Center accumulate an average of around $19,937 in student debt.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, The Graduate Center also did well on our Best Communication & Media Studies Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Borough of Manhattan Community College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools list. Located in the city of New York, BMCC is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at BMCC are $8,050 a year. Communications majors at BMCC take out an average of $8,821 in student loans while working on their egree.
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With a ranking of #16, Arizona State University - Skysong did quite well on this year’s best value schools for communication and media studies students. Located in the midsize city of Scottsdale, ASU - Skysong is a public college with a very large student population.
ASU - Skysong undergraduate students pay an average of $13,092 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, communications majors at ASU - Skysong accumulate an average of around $22,750 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $290.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, ASU - Skysong also is in the top 15% of our Best Communication & Media Studies Schools ranking.
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North Dakota State University - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for communication and media studies students. It came in at #17 on the list. North Dakota State University is a fairly large public school located in the city of Fargo.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at North Dakota State University are $14,876 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, North Dakota State University also is in the top 15% of our Best Communication & Media Studies Schools ranking.
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Austin Community College District landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value communication and media studies programs. Austin Community College District is a fairly large public school located in the city of Austin.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Austin Community College District are $10,590 a year.
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With a ranking of #20, Wilmington University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for communication and media studies students. Wilmington University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of New Castle.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Wilmington University are $11,760 per year.
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Western Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for communication and media studies students. It came in at #21 on the list. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WIU are $13,297 per year. After completing their degree, communications graduates from WIU carry an average student debtload of $28,032.
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San Diego Mesa College landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value communication and media studies programs. Located in the large city of San Diego, San Diego Mesa College is a public school with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at San Diego Mesa College are $8,512 per year. On average, communications graduates from San Diego Mesa College take out $5,750 in student loans while working on their degree.
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South Dakota State University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools list. Located in the remote town of Brookings, South Dakota State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
South Dakota State undergraduate students pay an average of $12,809 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that communications majors at South Dakota State take out is $27,000.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, South Dakota State also did well on our Best Communication & Media Studies Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Youngstown State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for communication and media studies students. It came in at #24 on the list. Located in the small city of Youngstown, Youngstown State University is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Youngstown State University are $9,732 a year.
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With a ranking of #25, University of South Dakota did quite well on this year’s best value schools for communication and media studies students. USD is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Vermillion.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at USD are $12,942 per year. After completing their degree, communications graduates from USD carry an average student debtload of $24,250. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $175.
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Remaining Award Winners
This list shows the rest of the colleges awarded a Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 683 different United States communication and media studies schools we analyzed.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools award.
Communication & Media Studies by Region
View the Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
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| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Communication & Media Studies Rankings
Communication & Media Studies Related Majors for Communications
Communication & Media Studies is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Public Relations & Advertising | 21,099 |
| Radio, Television & Digital Communication | 17,669 |
| Journalism | 13,552 |
| Communication & Journalism (Other) | 1,128 |
| Publishing | 336 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to UNU-WIDER from Helsinki, Finland.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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