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Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in California

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2023 Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

51 Colleges
$8,329 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$37,861 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Communication & Media Studies School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, communication and media studies was ranked 10th in California. In fact, 12,754 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. 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 Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 51 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value programs for communications students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

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.

2023 Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in California

Check out the communications programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools

#1

San Diego Mesa College

San Diego, CA
$1,144 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found San Diego Mesa College to be the best value school for communication and media studies students who want to pursue a degree in California. Located in the city of San Diego, San Diego Mesa College is a public school with a large student population.

San Diego Mesa College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,144 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, communications majors at San Diego Mesa College accumulate an average of around $5,750 in student debt.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at San Diego Mesa College

$6,817 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Channel Islands. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Camarillo, CSUCI is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUCI are $6,817 per year. Communications majors at CSUCI take out an average of $14,000 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $203.

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#3

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA
$7,304 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend San Francisco State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in California list. SFSU is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Francisco.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SFSU are $7,304 a year. Communications majors at SFSU take out an average of $13,979 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $184.

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Out of the 51 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at San Jose State are $7,852 a year.

In addition to its great value ranking, San Jose State is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in California list.

Full Communication & Media Studies at San Jose State University Report

$6,846 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 51 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSULB are $6,846 per year. While working on their degree, communications majors at CSULB accumulate an average of around $14,139 in student debt.

Full Communication & Media Studies at California State University - Long Beach Report

$7,392 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on this year’s best value schools for communication and media studies students. Sac State is a very large public school located in the large city of Sacramento.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Sac State are $7,392 per year. Communications majors at Sac State take out an average of $15,000 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $136, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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$6,976 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Fullerton ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal State Fullerton are $6,976 a year. After completing their degree, communications graduates from Cal State Fullerton carry an average student debtload of $14,415. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $167, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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$10,195 Average Tuition & Fees

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in California list. Located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $10,195 per year. The average amount in student loans that communications majors at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo take out is $14,857.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also is in the top 5% of our Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in California ranking.

Full Communication & Media Studies at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Report

#9

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, CA
$7,988 Average Tuition & Fees

Sonoma State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in California list. Located in the large suburb of Rohnert Park, SSU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SSU are $7,988 per year. The average amount in student loans that communications majors at SSU take out is $19,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $349.

Full Communication & Media Studies at Sonoma State University Report

$7,727 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - San Marcos landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value communication and media studies programs. CSUSM is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of San Marcos.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSUSM are $7,727 a year. After completing their degree, communications graduates from CSUSM carry an average student debtload of $16,710.

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

Best Value Communication & Media Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 1,139
Oregon 416
Nevada 367
Hawaii 265
Alaska 11

Communication & Media Studies is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.

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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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