2026 Best Journalism Associate’s Degree Schools
Looking for the best Journalism associate’s degree programs in the United States? We have ranked 525 colleges by overall quality and student outcomes, using our 2026 methodology. The rankings below weigh factors such as graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and admissions selectivity.
To help you make your decision, Course Advisor analyzed schools to compile this 2026 ranking, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). View our full ranking methodology.
Top 25 Journalism Associate’s Degree Schools in the United States
Here are the top-ranked schools:
Austin Community College District tops our 2026 ranking of the best Journalism associate's degree schools in the United States. Based in Austin, TX, Austin Community College District is a public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $2,550, compared with $10,590 for out-of-state students. Graduates carry a median of $8,007 in student loans. Get the full Austin Community College District report
Academy Of Art University came in at #2 on this year's Journalism ranking in the United States. Academy Of Art University is a private for-profit school based in San Francisco, CA. About 34% of students finish within six years. In-state tuition and fees average $30,736. Graduates carry a median of $33,568 in student loans. See the full Academy Of Art University profile
A rank of #3 makes San Diego Mesa College one of the top choices in the United States. Located in San Diego, CA, San Diego Mesa College is a public institution. San Diego Mesa College posts a six-year graduation rate of 92%. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $1,146, while out-of-state students pay about $10,002. Typical Journalism student debt is $6,999. Read the full report on San Diego Mesa College
Out of the 525 schools in the United States in this year's ranking, Broward College landed the #4 spot. Read the full report on Broward College
The strong Journalism programs at Eastern Illinois University earned it the #5 place in the United States. Get the full Eastern Illinois University report
Estrella Mountain Community College placed #6 among Journalism schools in the United States. Read more about Estrella Mountain Community College
Moreno Valley College did well this year, earning the #7 position. See the full Moreno Valley College profile
Southern Arkansas University Main Campus came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Read the full report on Southern Arkansas University Main Campus
College Of The Desert ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the best Journalism schools. Read the full report on College Of The Desert
California Baptist University did well this year, earning the #10 position. Read more about California Baptist University
New Mexico State University Main Campus ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the best Journalism schools. Read the full report on New Mexico State University Main Campus
Augustana College South Dakota placed #12 among Journalism schools in the United States. Get the full Augustana College South Dakota report
Briar Cliff University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Read the full report on Briar Cliff University
San Francisco State University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Get the full San Francisco State University report
West Texas A And M University came in at #15 in this year's ranking. More on West Texas A And M University
Campbell University ranked #16 on our 2026 list of the best Journalism schools. Get the full Campbell University report
Concordia University Chicago ranked #17 on our 2026 list of the best Journalism schools. See the full Concordia University Chicago profile
New York University landed the #18 spot in the United States this year. Get the full New York University report
North Greenville University placed #19 among Journalism schools in the United States. Read the full report on North Greenville University
Seattle University placed #20 among Journalism schools in the United States. More on Seattle University
Southern Adventist University ranked #21 on our 2026 list of the best Journalism schools. See the full Southern Adventist University profile
Troy University
Troy University came in at #22 in this year's ranking. Get the full Troy University report
Oklahoma State University Main Campus ranked #23 on our 2026 list of the best Journalism schools. Read the full report on Oklahoma State University Main Campus
Suffolk University did well this year, earning the #24 position. Read the full report on Suffolk University
The University Of Texas At Austin landed the #25 spot in the United States this year. See the full The University Of Texas At Austin profile
Rest of the Top 50 Best Journalism Associate’s Degree Schools in the United States
Not far behind, these schools also made the top of the list:
Eastern Washington University did well this year, earning the #26 position. See the full Eastern Washington University profile
Irvine Valley College came in at #27 in this year's ranking. Read the full report on Irvine Valley College
Washington And Lee University ranked #28 on our 2026 list of the best Journalism schools. More on Washington And Lee University
Fullerton College came in at #29 in this year's ranking. Read more about Fullerton College
Radford University came in at #30 in this year's ranking. See the full Radford University profile
University Of Hawaii At Manoa came in at #31 in this year's ranking. Read the full report on University Of Hawaii At Manoa
Elmhurst College
Elmhurst College landed the #32 spot in the United States this year. Read more about Elmhurst College
Langston University ranked #33 on our 2026 list of the best Journalism schools. Read more about Langston University
Missouri State University Springfield did well this year, earning the #34 position. More on Missouri State University Springfield
San Jose City College came in at #35 in this year's ranking. See the full San Jose City College profile
Trinity Washington University landed the #36 spot in the United States this year. See the full Trinity Washington University profile
Central Michigan University placed #37 among Journalism schools in the United States. More on Central Michigan University
Lipscomb University did well this year, earning the #38 position. More on Lipscomb University
City College Of San Francisco placed #39 among Journalism schools in the United States. Read more about City College Of San Francisco
Hofstra University landed the #40 spot in the United States this year. More on Hofstra University
Las Positas College came in at #41 in this year's ranking. Read the full report on Las Positas College
Ohio University Chillicothe Campus landed the #42 spot in the United States this year. See the full Ohio University Chillicothe Campus profile
Washington Adventist University came in at #43 in this year's ranking. Get the full Washington Adventist University report
Long Beach City College came in at #44 in this year's ranking. Read the full report on Long Beach City College
College Of The Sequoias came in at #45 in this year's ranking. See the full College Of The Sequoias profile
Colorado State University Fort Collins did well this year, earning the #46 position. Read more about Colorado State University Fort Collins
The College Of New Jersey came in at #47 in this year's ranking. More on The College Of New Jersey
University Of Florida did well this year, earning the #48 position. Read the full report on University Of Florida
Trevecca Nazarene University ranked #49 on our 2026 list of the best Journalism schools. More on Trevecca Nazarene University
School Of The Art Institute Of Chicago ranked #50 on our 2026 list of the best Journalism schools. More on School Of The Art Institute Of Chicago
Related Journalism Rankings
See rankings for other degree levels:
- Best Journalism Schools (All Levels)
- Best Journalism Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Journalism Undergraduate Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools
- Best Journalism Graduate Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Journalism Master’s Degree Schools
- Best Journalism Doctoral Degree Schools
Ranking Methodology & Notes
This list is compiled by Course Advisor (DMS_RANKING_2023), 2026 edition. Rankings consider a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and admissions data drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: Dms College Quality · Scope: Nation. *Averages shown above reflect the top 525 ranked schools only.
References
- Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) — National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education (core institutional data).
- College Scorecard — U.S. Department of Education (graduate earnings and outcomes data).
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