2023 Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Plains States Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Communication & Media Studies School for You
With 66,787 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, communication and media studies is the #10 most popular major in the United States.
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. This report analyzed 64 schools in the Plains States Region 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.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 10 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools
Our analysis found Drake University to be the best value school for communication and media studies students who want to pursue a degree in the Plains States Region . Located in the medium-sized city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Drake are $45,912 per year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Drake is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Plains States Region list.
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The excellent programs at Bellevue University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best communication and media studies schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the suburb of Bellevue, Bellevue University is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Bellevue University undergraduate students pay an average of $8,310 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that communications majors at Bellevue University take out is $26,083.
Bellevue University excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Plains States Region list.
Full Communication & Media Studies at Bellevue University Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wayne State College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the town of Wayne, WSC is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at WSC are $7,458 a year. Communications majors at WSC take out an average of $23,407 in student loans while working on their egree.
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The excellent programs at Metropolitan State University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best communication and media studies schools in the Plains States Region . Metro State is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of Saint Paul.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Metro State are $9,394 per year. While working on their degree, communications majors at Metro State accumulate an average of around $34,724 in student debt.
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The excellent programs at North Dakota State University - Main Campus helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best communication and media studies schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the medium-sized city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at North Dakota State University are $14,876 a year.
North Dakota State University also claimed a spot on our Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at North Dakota State University - Main Campus
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With a ranking of #6, South Dakota State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for communication and media studies students. South Dakota State is a fairly large public school located in the town of Brookings.
South Dakota State undergraduate students pay an average of $12,809 in tuition and fees each year. On average, communications graduates from South Dakota State take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, South Dakota State also is in the top 20% of our Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.
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University of South Dakota ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the distant town of Vermillion, USD is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at USD are $12,942 a year. The average amount in student loans that communications majors at USD take out is $24,250. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $175, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Bemidji 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 #8 on the list. Bemidji State University is a small public school located in the town of Bemidji.
Bemidji State University undergraduate students pay an average of $9,806 in tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Bemidji State University is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Plains States Region list.
Full Communication & Media Studies at Bemidji State University Report
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With a ranking of #9, Winona State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for communication and media studies students. Winona State is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Winona.
Winona State undergraduate students pay an average of $16,684 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, communications majors at Winona State accumulate an average of around $25,415 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $158, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Winona State also is in the top 15% of our Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.
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Minnesota State University - Mankato ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Plains States Region list. Minnesota State Mankato is a large public school located in the small city of Mankato.
Minnesota State Mankato undergraduate students pay an average of $18,200 in tuition and fees each year. Communications majors at Minnesota State Mankato take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $150, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Communication & Media Studies at Minnesota State University - Mankato Report
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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 in the Plains States Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Truman State University | Kirksville, MO |
| 12 | University of North Dakota | Grand Forks, ND |
Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges by State
Explore the best communication and media studies colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Missouri | 1,007 |
| Minnesota | 887 |
| Kansas | 490 |
| Iowa | 552 |
| Nebraska | 156 |
| North Dakota | 131 |
| South Dakota | 159 |
More Communication & Media Studies Rankings in the Plains States Region
Majors Related to Communications
One of 5 majors within the area of study, communication and media studies has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related 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 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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