2023 Best Value Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in North Carolina
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, communication and media studies students earned 2,972 degrees and certificates from a North Carolina school, making the subject the 7th in the state.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. This report analyzed 23 schools in North Carolina to see which ones offered the best value bachelor's degree programs for communications students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 10 Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found Appalachian State University to be the best value school for communication and media studies students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in North Carolina. Located in the town of Boone, Appalachian State is a public college with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Appalachian State are $7,410 per year. Communications majors at Appalachian State take out an average of $21,282 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $150, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
In addition to its great value ranking, Appalachian State is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina list.
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Out of the 23 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Pembroke landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the distant town of Pembroke, UNC Pembroke is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
UNC Pembroke undergraduate students pay an average of $3,495 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that communications majors at UNC Pembroke take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $26,870. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $127.
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Out of the 23 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, East Carolina University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Greenville, ECU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
ECU undergraduate students pay an average of $7,297 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, communications graduates from ECU take out $22,625 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $298, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, ECU also is in the top 15% of our Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking.
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Out of the 23 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the # 4 spot on the list. UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public school located in the city of Chapel Hill.
UNC Chapel Hill undergraduate students pay an average of $9,028 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, communications graduates from UNC Chapel Hill take out $16,013 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $361, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
UNC Chapel Hill also took the #4 spot in our Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina rankings.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Charlotte. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina list. UNC Charlotte is a very large public school located in the city of Charlotte.
UNC Charlotte undergraduate students pay an average of $7,188 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, communications graduates from UNC Charlotte take out $24,008 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $177.
UNC Charlotte excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina list.
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Western Carolina University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree communication and media studies programs. WCU is a large public school located in the town of Cullowhee.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WCU are $4,367 per year. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $166.
Full Communication & Media Studies at Western Carolina University Report
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North Carolina State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina list. NC State is a very large public school located in the city of Raleigh.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NC State are $9,131 per year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, communications graduates from NC State carry an average student debtload of $21,423. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $363.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, NC State is ranked #5 for overall quality for communications in North Carolina.
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University of North Carolina at Wilmington came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Wilmington, UNCW is a public college with a fairly large student population.
UNCW undergraduate students pay an average of $7,238 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, communications graduates from UNCW carry an average student debtload of $22,845. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $241, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of North Carolina at Greensboro ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina list. UNC Greensboro is a large public school located in the city of Greensboro.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNC Greensboro are $7,468 per year. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $248.
Full Communication & Media Studies at University of North Carolina at Greensboro Report
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North Carolina A & T State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina list. NC A&T is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Greensboro.
NC A&T undergraduate students pay an average of $6,733 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Communications majors at NC A&T take out an average of $28,925 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $201, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at North Carolina A & T State University
Request InformationBest Value Communication & Media Studies Colleges in the Southeast Region
Explore all the Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Georgia | 795 |
| Virginia | 2,064 |
| Florida | 3,020 |
| Tennessee | 1,000 |
| Kentucky | 787 |
| South Carolina | 796 |
| Louisiana | 815 |
| Arkansas | 457 |
| Alabama | 968 |
| Mississippi | 307 |
| West Virginia | 214 |
More Communication & Media Studies Rankings in North Carolina
Majors Related to Communications
One of 5 majors within the area of study, communication and media studies has other similar majors worth exploring.
Majors Similar to Communications
| 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 23 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.
More about our data sources and methodologies.