2026 Best Value Journalism Associate’s Degree Schools
Looking for the best-value Journalism associate’s degree programs in the United States? This list ranks 525 colleges by value — the balance of cost and student outcomes, using our 2026 methodology. The rankings below weigh factors such as tuition, student debt, and post-graduation earnings to surface the strongest return on investment.
So you can compare your options, Course Advisor evaluated schools to build this 2026 value ranking, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). View our full ranking methodology.
Top 25 Best-Value Journalism Associate’s Degree Schools in the United States
Learn more about these high-value schools below:
For return on investment, no school beat Austin Community College District this year in the United States. Based in Austin, TX, Austin Community College District is a public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $2,550, compared with $10,590 for out-of-state students. Graduates carry a median of $8,007 in student loans. A decade after starting, students earn a median of $43,177. That is a strong return on a $8,007 median debt. Get the full Austin Community College District report
San Diego Mesa College came in at #2 on this year's best-value Journalism ranking in the United States. Based in San Diego, CA, San Diego Mesa College is a public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $1,146, compared with $10,002 for out-of-state students. San Diego Mesa College Journalism students take on a median of $6,999 in debt. San Diego Mesa College alumni report median earnings of $45,120 a decade after entry. That is a strong return on a $6,999 median debt. More on San Diego Mesa College
Out of the 525 schools in the United States in this year's value ranking, Academy Of Art University landed the #3 spot. Based in San Francisco, CA, Academy Of Art University is a private for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $30,736. The median Journalism program debt is $33,568. Ten years after enrolling, students earn a median of $39,008. That is a strong return on a $33,568 median debt. See the full Academy Of Art University profile
Out of the 525 schools in the United States in this year's value ranking, Goshen College landed the #4 spot. More on Goshen College
A rank of #5 makes University Of St Thomas Minnesota one of the best values in the United States. Read more about University Of St Thomas Minnesota
Imperial Valley College placed #6 among the best-value Journalism schools in the United States. Read more about Imperial Valley College
Suny College At Buffalo offered strong value this year, earning the #7 position. Read the full report on Suny College At Buffalo
University Of Memphis landed the #8 spot for value in the United States this year. See the full University Of Memphis profile
Widener University Main Campus placed #9 among the best-value Journalism schools in the United States. More on Widener University Main Campus
Elizabethtown College came in at #10 in this year's value ranking. More on Elizabethtown College
Fresno City College landed the #11 spot for value in the United States this year. More on Fresno City College
Hillsborough Community College landed the #12 spot for value in the United States this year. Read more about Hillsborough Community College
Santa Fe Community College came in at #13 in this year's value ranking. See the full Santa Fe Community College profile
Solano Community College offered strong value this year, earning the #14 position. Read the full report on Solano Community College
Vincennes University came in at #15 in this year's value ranking. Read more about Vincennes University
College Of The Ozarks offered strong value this year, earning the #16 position. See the full College Of The Ozarks profile
Muskingum University ranked #17 on our 2026 list of the best-value Journalism schools. See the full Muskingum University profile
Northern Illinois University came in at #18 in this year's value ranking. Read the full report on Northern Illinois University
Washington And Lee University landed the #19 spot for value in the United States this year. See the full Washington And Lee University profile
Wayne County Community College District placed #20 among the best-value Journalism schools in the United States. See the full Wayne County Community College District profile
Ferris State University offered strong value this year, earning the #21 position. See the full Ferris State University profile
New York University placed #22 among the best-value Journalism schools in the United States. Read more about New York University
Stillman College
Stillman College came in at #23 in this year's value ranking. Read the full report on Stillman College
The College Of New Jersey placed #24 among the best-value Journalism schools in the United States. Get the full The College Of New Jersey report
University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign ranked #25 on our 2026 list of the best-value Journalism schools. Read more about University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign
Rest of the Top 50 Best-Value Journalism Associate’s Degree Schools in the United States
Not far behind, these schools also offered excellent value:
University Of Washington Seattle Campus placed #26 among the best-value Journalism schools in the United States. Read the full report on University Of Washington Seattle Campus
Cuesta College
Cuesta College offered strong value this year, earning the #27 position. See the full Cuesta College profile
Ashford University placed #28 among the best-value Journalism schools in the United States. Get the full Ashford University report
Auburn University offered strong value this year, earning the #29 position. Get the full Auburn University report
Concordia University Chicago ranked #30 on our 2026 list of the best-value Journalism schools. More on Concordia University Chicago
Community College Of Denver came in at #31 in this year's value ranking. Read the full report on Community College Of Denver
Drake University
Drake University landed the #32 spot for value in the United States this year. Read the full report on Drake University
Gardner Webb University ranked #33 on our 2026 list of the best-value Journalism schools. See the full Gardner Webb University profile
Johnson University placed #34 among the best-value Journalism schools in the United States. Get the full Johnson University report
Middle Tennessee State University ranked #35 on our 2026 list of the best-value Journalism schools. More on Middle Tennessee State University
Murray State University came in at #36 in this year's value ranking. See the full Murray State University profile
College Of The Sequoias offered strong value this year, earning the #37 position. Read the full report on College Of The Sequoias
Northwest Christian University ranked #38 on our 2026 list of the best-value Journalism schools. Read more about Northwest Christian University
Our Lady Of The Lake University San Antonio placed #39 among the best-value Journalism schools in the United States. Get the full Our Lady Of The Lake University San Antonio report
The University Of Tampa came in at #40 in this year's value ranking. Read more about The University Of Tampa
University Of Alaska Fairbanks placed #41 among the best-value Journalism schools in the United States. Get the full University Of Alaska Fairbanks report
West Virginia University came in at #42 in this year's value ranking. Get the full West Virginia University report
Adrian College
Adrian College landed the #43 spot for value in the United States this year. Read more about Adrian College
Liberty University placed #44 among the best-value Journalism schools in the United States. See the full Liberty University profile
Miami University Oxford placed #45 among the best-value Journalism schools in the United States. Read more about Miami University Oxford
Salt Lake Community College came in at #46 in this year's value ranking. Get the full Salt Lake Community College report
Siena College
Siena College came in at #47 in this year's value ranking. Read more about Siena College
College Of The Canyons ranked #48 on our 2026 list of the best-value Journalism schools. More on College Of The Canyons
Grossmont College offered strong value this year, earning the #49 position. Get the full Grossmont College report
St Johns University New York placed #50 among the best-value Journalism schools in the United States. Read more about St Johns University New York
Related Journalism Value Rankings
Explore other degree levels:
- Best Value Journalism Schools (All Levels)
- Best Value Journalism Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Value Journalism Undergraduate Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools
- Best Value Journalism Graduate Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Value Journalism Master’s Degree Schools
- Best Value Journalism Doctoral Degree Schools
Ranking Methodology & Notes
The ranking above is published by Course Advisor (DMS_RANKING_2023), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment — drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 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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