2023 Best Value Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
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.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. This report analyzed 252 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value bachelor's degree programs for journalism students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
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 for a Bachelor's in Journalism
Our 2023 rankings named Brigham Young University - Provo the best value school in the United States for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. BYU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize 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 Bachelor's Degree, journalism majors at BYU accumulate an average of around $14,798 in student debt.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Wilmington University is a great value for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the suburb of New Castle, Wilmington University is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Wilmington University are $11,760 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Wilmington University is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at South Dakota State University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value journalism schools in the United States. South Dakota State is a large public school located in the remote town of Brookings.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at South Dakota State are $12,809 a year.
South Dakota State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list.
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Out of the 252 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Nebraska at Kearney landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the distant town of Kearney, UNK is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNK are $15,320 per year.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means North Dakota State University - Main Campus is a great value for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public college with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at North Dakota State University are $14,876 per 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 Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking.
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Universidad del Sagrado Corazon 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 #7 on the 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.
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University of Wisconsin - Whitewater landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree journalism programs. Located in the town of Whitewater, UW - Whitewater is a public school with a large student population.
UW - Whitewater undergraduate students pay an average of $16,602 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at UW - Whitewater take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $23,132.
UW - Whitewater also claimed a spot on our Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. 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. Journalism majors at Ship take out an average of $25,983 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $261, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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West Texas A&M 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 #10 on the list. West Texas A&M University is a moderately-sized public school located in the fringe town of Canyon.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at West Texas A&M University are $11,208 per year.
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University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Oshkosh, UW Oshkosh is a public college with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW Oshkosh are $15,306 per year.
Full Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Report
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With a ranking of #12, University of Wisconsin - River Falls did quite well on this year’s best value schools for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. UW - River Falls is a medium-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 also claimed a spot on our Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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With a ranking of #13, University of Florida did quite well on this year’s best value schools for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. UF is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UF are $28,659 a year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, journalism majors at UF accumulate an average of around $16,650 in student debt.
UF also claimed a spot on our Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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Western Illinois University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. WIU is a medium-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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University of Minnesota - Duluth 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. UMN Duluth is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Duluth.
UMN Duluth undergraduate students pay an average of $19,148 in tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, UMN Duluth is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list.
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Northern Illinois University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
NIU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,738 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at NIU take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $26,604.
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Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree journalism programs. Located in the small city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public college with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SIUC are $15,240 per year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, journalism graduates from SIUC carry an average student debtload of $25,613.
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California State University - Chico came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Chico State is a large public school located in the midsize city of Chico.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Chico State are $19,744 per year. On average, journalism graduates from Chico State take out $18,842 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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San Jose State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. San Jose State is a very large public school located in the city of San Jose.
San Jose State undergraduate students pay an average of $19,732 in tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #20, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on this year’s best value schools for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. 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 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.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also did well on our Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Central Michigan 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 #21 on the list. Located in the distant town of Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan is a public school with a large student population.
Central Michigan undergraduate students pay an average of $13,094 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, journalism majors at Central Michigan accumulate an average of around $25,477 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $297, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Journalism at Central Michigan University Report
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University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree journalism programs. UW - Eau Claire is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Eau Claire.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - Eau Claire are $17,149 per year.
UW - Eau Claire also claimed a spot on our Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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Rust College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the town of Holly Springs, Rust College is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Rust College are $9,900 a year.
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Minnesota State University - Moorhead landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree journalism programs. MSU Moorhead is a medium-sized public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Moorhead.
MSU Moorhead undergraduate students pay an average of $17,564 in tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, MSU Moorhead is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list.
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Youngstown State 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 #25 on the list. Youngstown State University is a fairly large public school located in the city of Youngstown.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Youngstown State University are $9,732 per year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, journalism graduates from Youngstown State University carry an average student debtload of $25,164.
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Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great value schools for Journalism students seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 39 | University of Oklahoma Norman Campus | Norman, OK |
| 40 | Western Michigan University | Kalamazoo, MI |
| 41 | University of Central Arkansas | Conway, AR |
| 42 | University of Wisconsin - Madison | Madison, WI |
| 43 | University of Nevada - Reno | Reno, NV |
| 44 | University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR |
| 45 | California State University - Long Beach | Long Beach, CA |
| 45 | Concordia College at Moorhead | Moorhead, MN |
| 47 | University of Nebraska - Lincoln | Lincoln, NE |
| 47 | Ohio University - Athens Campus | Athens, OH |
| 49 | University of Wyoming | Laramie, WY |
| 49 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus | Indiana, PA |
Journalism by Region
View the Best Value 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 |
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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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