2023 Best Value Journalism Schools
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
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.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Journalism Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 264 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best value experiences for journalism students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality in Journalism
Our 2023 rankings named Brigham Young University - Provo the best value school in the United States for journalism students. BYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Provo.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at BYU are $6,120 a year. While working on their degree, journalism majors at BYU accumulate an average of around $11,800 in student debt.
In addition to its great value ranking, BYU is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Journalism Schools list.
Read full report on Journalism at Brigham Young University - Provo
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The excellent programs at Austin Community College District helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best journalism schools in the United States. Located in the large city of Austin, Austin Community College District is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Austin Community College District are $10,590 per year.
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The excellent programs at Wilmington University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best journalism schools in the United States. Located in the suburb of New Castle, Wilmington University is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Wilmington University are $11,760 per year.
Read full report on Journalism at Wilmington University
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend South Dakota State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools list. South Dakota State is a large public school located in the remote town of Brookings.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at South Dakota State are $12,809 per year.
In addition to its great value ranking, South Dakota State is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Journalism Schools list.
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Out of the 264 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Nebraska at Kearney landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the town of Kearney, UNK is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UNK are $15,320 a year. After completing their degree, journalism graduates from UNK carry an average student debtload of $25,000.
Full Journalism at University of Nebraska at Kearney Report
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North Dakota State University - Main Campus landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value journalism programs. Located in the city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public school with a 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.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, North Dakota State University also is in the top 15% of our Best Journalism Schools ranking.
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St. Bonaventure University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value journalism programs. St. Bonaventure is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Saint Bonaventure.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at St. Bonaventure are $37,640 per year. While working on their degree, journalism majors at St. Bonaventure accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
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Universidad del Sagrado Corazon ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools list. Sagrado is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Santurce.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Sagrado are $6,120 a year. While working on their degree, journalism majors at Sagrado accumulate an average of around $13,750 in student debt.
Read full report on Journalism at Universidad del Sagrado Corazon
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San Diego Mesa College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools ranking. San Diego Mesa College is a large public school located in the large city of San Diego.
San Diego Mesa College undergraduate students pay an average of $8,512 in tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #11, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well on this year’s best value schools for journalism students. Located in the town of Whitewater, UW - Whitewater is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - Whitewater are $16,602 per year. After completing their degree, journalism graduates from UW - Whitewater carry an average student debtload of $25,873.
UW - Whitewater also claimed a spot on our Best Journalism Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
Full Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Report
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With a ranking of #12, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s best value schools for journalism students. Located in the fringe town of Shippensburg, Ship is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ship are $14,122 per year. On average, journalism graduates from Ship take out $26,000 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $261, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Journalism at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
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West Texas A&M University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools ranking. West Texas A&M University is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Canyon.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at West Texas A&M University are $11,208 a year.
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University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools list. Located in the small city of Oshkosh, UW Oshkosh is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW Oshkosh are $15,306 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UW Oshkosh also did well on our Best Journalism Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full report on Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
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With a ranking of #15, Ferris State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for journalism students. Located in the town of Big Rapids, Ferris is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ferris are $13,188 per year.
Full Journalism at Ferris State University Report
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University of Wisconsin - River Falls came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools ranking. UW - River Falls is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of River Falls.
UW - River Falls undergraduate students pay an average of $15,661 in tuition and fees each year.
UW - River Falls excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Journalism Schools list.
Read full report on Journalism at University of Wisconsin - River Falls
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University of Florida came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools ranking. UF is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville.
UF undergraduate students pay an average of $28,659 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, journalism graduates from UF carry an average student debtload of $16,477.
In addition to its great value ranking, UF is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Journalism Schools list.
Full Journalism at University of Florida Report
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Western Illinois University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools ranking. WIU is a moderately-sized public school located in the remote town of Macomb.
WIU undergraduate students pay an average of $13,297 in tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #19, Northern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for journalism students. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NIU are $14,738 a year. On average, journalism graduates from NIU take out $25,750 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Journalism at Northern Illinois University Report
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University of Minnesota - Duluth landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value journalism programs. UMN Duluth is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Duluth.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UMN Duluth are $19,148 per year. Journalism majors at UMN Duluth take out an average of $25,250 in student loans while working on their egree.
In addition to its great value ranking, UMN Duluth is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Journalism Schools list.
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With a ranking of #21, California State University - Chico did quite well on this year’s best value schools for journalism students. Chico State is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Chico.
Chico State undergraduate students pay an average of $19,744 in tuition and fees each year. Journalism majors at Chico State take out an average of $19,479 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Journalism at California State University - Chico Report
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San Jose State University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools list. San Jose State is a very large public school located in the large city of San Jose.
San Jose State undergraduate students pay an average of $19,732 in tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, San Jose State is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Journalism Schools list.
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Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for journalism students. It came in at #21 on the list. Located in the city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
SIUC undergraduate students pay an average of $15,240 in tuition and fees each year. On average, journalism graduates from SIUC take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $28,105 a year. 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.
In addition to its great value ranking, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Journalism Schools list.
Full Journalism at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Report
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Central Michigan University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Schools ranking. Located in the town of Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Central Michigan are $13,094 a year. On average, journalism graduates from Central Michigan take out $26,603 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $297, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Journalism at Central Michigan University
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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 Value Journalism Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 41 | Northeastern State University | Tahlequah, OK |
| 42 | Iowa State University | Ames, IA |
| 42 | University of Oklahoma Norman Campus | Norman, OK |
| 44 | University of Memphis | Memphis, TN |
| 45 | University of Wisconsin - Madison | Madison, WI |
| 46 | Western Michigan University | Kalamazoo, MI |
| 47 | University of Central Arkansas | Conway, AR |
| 48 | Ohio University - Athens Campus | Athens, OH |
| 49 | University of Nevada - Reno | Reno, NV |
| 50 | University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR |
| 51 | Concordia College at Moorhead | Moorhead, MN |
| 51 | California State University - Long Beach | Long Beach, CA |
Journalism by Region
View the Best Value 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
Majors Related to Journalism
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.
- 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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