2023 Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools
Finding the Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 252 schools in the United States to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the United States
Check out the journalism bachelor's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Journalism
Our analysis found University of Wisconsin - Madison to be the best school for journalism students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the United States. UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the large city of Madison.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Florida is a great place for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. UF is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Gainesville.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, journalism majors at UF accumulate an average of around $16,650 in student debt.
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Out of the 252 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, journalism majors at USC accumulate an average of around $16,644 in student debt.
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Out of the 252 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the # 4 spot on the list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, journalism graduates from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo carry an average student debtload of $18,144. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $310.
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Out of the 252 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 college with a very large student population.
On average, journalism graduates from UMN Twin Cities take out $19,916 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 $234.
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With a ranking of #6, University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well on this year’s best schools for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. Mizzou is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Columbia.
On average, journalism graduates from Mizzou take out $19,957 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. 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 working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Elon, Elon is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
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George Washington University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
On average, journalism graduates from GWU take out $21,457 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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Samford University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Samford is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Birmingham.
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With a ranking of #10, Drake University did quite well on this year’s best schools for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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University of Kansas ranked #11 on this year’s Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Lawrence, KU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at KU take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $20,148. 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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American University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for journalism students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #12 on the list. The American University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington.
Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $701.
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The University of Texas at Austin ranked #13 on this year’s Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. UT Austin is a very large public school located in the large city of Austin.
Journalism majors at UT Austin take out an average of $20,561 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 $204.
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University of Maryland - College Park ranked #14 on this year’s Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public school with a very large student population.
Journalism majors at UMCP take out an average of $20,106 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $756.
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Southern Methodist University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for journalism students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #15 on the list. SMU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Dallas.
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Syracuse University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Syracuse is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Syracuse.
For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $557.
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree journalism programs. UIUC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Champaign.
For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $194.
Full Journalism at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report
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Fairfield University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Fairfield U is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Fairfield.
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Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #19 on this year’s Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public school with a fairly large student population.
For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $560.
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Texas Christian University landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree journalism programs. Located in the city of Fort Worth, TCU is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, journalism majors at TCU accumulate an average of around $22,580 in student debt.
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Kansas State University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. K -State is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Manhattan.
The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at K -State take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $21,360. 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 places for journalism students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #22 on the list. Located in the city of Boulder, CU - Boulder is a public college with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at CU - Boulder take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $15,731.
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Colorado State University - Fort Collins ranked #23 on this year’s Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Colorado State is a very large public school located in the city of Fort Collins.
The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at Colorado State take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $21,700. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $468.
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Concordia College at Moorhead landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree journalism programs. Concordia College Moorhead is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Moorhead.
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Emerson College landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree journalism programs. Located in the large city of Boston, Emerson is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at Emerson take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $23,353. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $888.
Full Journalism at Emerson College Report
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Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 38 | Wilmington University | New Castle, DE |
| 39 | Gonzaga University | Spokane, WA |
| 40 | University of Scranton | Scranton, PA |
| 41 | University of Georgia | Athens, GA |
| 42 | Utah State University | Logan, UT |
| 43 | Georgia College & State University | Milledgeville, GA |
| 44 | Creighton University | Omaha, NE |
| 45 | Chapman University | Orange, CA |
| 46 | Bethel University Minnesota | Saint Paul, MN |
| 47 | North Dakota State University - Main Campus | Fargo, ND |
| 48 | Marquette University | Milwaukee, WI |
| 49 | South Dakota State University | Brookings, SD |
| 50 | Michigan State University | East Lansing, MI |
Journalism by Region
View the Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree 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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