2023 Best Journalism Schools
Finding the Best Journalism School for You
Journalism is the #70 most popular major in the country with 13,552 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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.
The Best Journalism Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 264 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Journalism Schools in the United States
Check out the journalism programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 25 Top Schools in Journalism
Our analysis found Georgetown University to be the best school for journalism students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
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Out of the 264 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the # 2 spot on the list. UW - Madison is a fairly large public school located in the city of Madison.
The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at UW - Madison take out is $21,500.
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The excellent programs at University of Florida helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best journalism schools in the United States. UF is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Gainesville.
After completing their degree, journalism graduates from UF carry an average student debtload of $16,477.
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The excellent programs at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best journalism schools in the United States. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.
After completing their degree, journalism graduates from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo carry an average student debtload of $18,581. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $310.
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Out of the 264 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, journalism majors at UMN Twin Cities accumulate an average of around $21,500 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 $234.
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University of Missouri - Columbia landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best journalism programs. Mizzou is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Columbia.
After completing their degree, journalism graduates from Mizzou carry an average student debtload of $21,500. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $427.
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With a ranking of #7, Elon University did quite well on this year’s best schools for journalism students. Located in the suburb of Elon, Elon is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
On average, journalism graduates from Elon take out $25,908 in student loans while working on their degree.
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University of Southern California did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for journalism students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
On average, journalism graduates from USC take out $18,379 in student loans while working on their degree.
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With a ranking of #9, Samford University did quite well on this year’s best schools for journalism students. Samford is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Birmingham.
While working on their degree, journalism majors at Samford accumulate an average of around $22,087 in student debt.
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Drake University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Journalism Schools list. Located in the city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Journalism majors at Drake take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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With a ranking of #11, University of Kansas did quite well on this year’s best schools for journalism students. Located in the small city of Lawrence, KU is a public college with a very large student population.
On average, journalism graduates from KU take out $22,437 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $494.
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With a ranking of #12, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on this year’s best schools for journalism students. UT Austin is a fairly large public school located in the city of Austin.
The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at UT Austin take out is $21,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $204.
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University of Maryland - College Park came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Journalism Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Journalism majors at UMCP take out an average of $21,375 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $756.
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Southern Methodist University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best journalism programs. SMU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Dallas.
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George Washington University landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best journalism programs. Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
After completing their degree, journalism graduates from GWU carry an average student debtload of $21,875.
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best journalism programs. UIUC is a very large public school located in the small city of Champaign.
After completing their degree, journalism graduates from UIUC carry an average student debtload of $19,500. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $194.
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Fairfield University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for journalism students. It came in at #17 on the list. Fairfield U is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Fairfield.
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Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #18 on this year’s Best Journalism Schools list. Located in the small city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public school with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, journalism graduates from IU Bloomington carry an average student debtload of $19,500. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $560.
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Texas Christian University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Journalism Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Fort Worth, TCU is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, journalism graduates from TCU carry an average student debtload of $23,050.
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Kansas State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Journalism Schools ranking. K -State is a very large public school located in the city of Manhattan.
While working on their degree, journalism majors at K -State accumulate an average of around $22,852 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 $286.
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University of Colorado Boulder did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for journalism students. It came in at #21 on the list. Located in the city of Boulder, CU - Boulder is a public school with a very large student population.
After completing their degree, journalism graduates from CU - Boulder carry an average student debtload of $14,000.
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With a ranking of #22, University of Iowa did quite well on this year’s best schools for journalism students. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public school with a fairly large student population.
On average, journalism graduates from Iowa take out $24,250 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $395.
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With a ranking of #23, American University did quite well on this year’s best schools for journalism students. The American University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Washington.
While working on their degree, journalism majors at The American University accumulate an average of around $25,000 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $701.
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Colorado State University - Fort Collins came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Journalism Schools ranking. Colorado State is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Fort Collins.
On average, journalism graduates from Colorado State take out $23,250 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $468.
Full Journalism at Colorado State University - Fort Collins Report
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With a ranking of #25, Concordia College at Moorhead did quite well on this year’s best schools for journalism students. Concordia College Moorhead is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized suburb of Moorhead.
Full Journalism at Concordia College at Moorhead Report
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Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great schools for Journalism students that almost earned our Best Journalism Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | University of Scranton | Scranton, PA |
| 41 | University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR |
| 42 | Boston University | Boston, MA |
| 43 | Utah State University | Logan, UT |
| 44 | Georgia College & State University | Milledgeville, GA |
| 45 | Creighton University | Omaha, NE |
| 46 | Chapman University | Orange, CA |
| 47 | Bethel University Minnesota | Saint Paul, MN |
| 48 | North Dakota State University - Main Campus | Fargo, ND |
| 49 | Marquette University | Milwaukee, WI |
| 50 | South Dakota State University | Brookings, SD |
| 51 | University of Georgia | Athens, GA |
| 52 | University of Nevada - Reno | Reno, NV |
Journalism by Region
View the Best Journalism Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Journalism Rankings
Journalism Related Rankings by Major
Journalism is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.
Majors Similar to Journalism
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Communication & Media Studies | 66,787 |
| Public Relations & Advertising | 21,099 |
| Radio, Television & Digital Communication | 17,669 |
| Communication & Journalism (Other) | 1,128 |
| Publishing | 336 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 Jfurrer.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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