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Best Value Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools

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2023 Best Value Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

252 Colleges
$15,838 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$31,564 Avg Salary

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.

2023 Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the United States

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Journalism Bachelor's Degree Colleges.

Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality for a Bachelor's in Journalism

Our analysis found Brigham Young University - Provo to be the best value school for journalism students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the United States. BYU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Provo.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at BYU are $6,120 per year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, journalism majors at BYU accumulate an average of around $14,798 in student debt.

Read full report on Journalism at Brigham Young University - Provo

#2

Wilmington University

New Castle, DE

Out of the 252 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Wilmington University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of New Castle, Wilmington University is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

Wilmington University undergraduate students pay an average of $11,760 in tuition and fees each year.

Wilmington University excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list.

Read full report on Journalism at Wilmington University

Out of the 252 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, South Dakota State University landed the # 3 spot on the list. South Dakota State is a fairly large public school located in the 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 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.

Read full report on Journalism at South Dakota State University

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Nebraska at Kearney helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value journalism schools in the United States. 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.

Read full report on Journalism at University of Nebraska at Kearney

Out of the 252 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, North Dakota State University - Main Campus landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the midsize city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public college with a fairly large student population.

North Dakota State University undergraduate students pay an average of $14,876 in tuition and fees each year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, North Dakota State University also did well on our Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read More…

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 large city of Santurce.

Sagrado undergraduate students pay an average of $6,120 in tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the distant town of Whitewater, UW - Whitewater is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Whitewater are $16,602 a 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.

Read More…

Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree journalism programs. Located in the town of Shippensburg, Ship is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Ship are $14,122 a 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.

Read full report on Journalism at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

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.

Full Journalism at West Texas A&M University Report

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the small city of Oshkosh, UW Oshkosh is a public college with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW Oshkosh are $15,306 a year.

Full Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Report

University of Wisconsin - River Falls ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. 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 excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list.

Full Journalism at University of Wisconsin - River Falls Report

#13

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

University of Florida landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree journalism programs. UF is a fairly large public school located in the city of Gainesville.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UF are $28,659 per 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.

Full Journalism at University of Florida Report

Western Illinois University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree journalism programs. WIU is a moderately-sized public school located in the remote town of Macomb.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at WIU are $13,297 a year.

Read More…

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.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UMN Duluth are $19,148 a year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, UMN Duluth also did well on our Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read full report on Journalism at University of Minnesota - Duluth

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 college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NIU are $14,738 a year. The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at NIU take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $26,604.

Read full report on Journalism at Northern Illinois University

Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the small city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SIUC are $15,240 a year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, journalism graduates from SIUC carry an average student debtload of $25,613.

Read More…

With a ranking of #17, California State University - Chico did quite well on this year’s best value schools for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. Chico State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Chico.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Chico State are $19,744 a year. On average, journalism graduates from Chico State take out $18,842 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Read More…

#17

San Jose State University

San Jose, CA

San Jose State University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Jose.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at San Jose State are $19,732 a year.

Read More…

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public school located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $28,105 per 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.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also is in the top 5% of our Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking.

Read full report on Journalism at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

#21

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, MI

Central Michigan University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the distant town of Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan is a public college 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.

Read full report on Journalism at Central Michigan University

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. UW - Eau Claire is a fairly large public school located in the city of Eau Claire.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - Eau Claire are $17,149 per year.

In addition to its great value ranking, UW - Eau Claire is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list.

Full Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Report

#23

Rust College

Holly Springs, MS

With a ranking of #23, Rust College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the town of Holly Springs, Rust College is a private not-for-profit school 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.

Read More…

With a ranking of #24, Minnesota State University - Moorhead did quite well on this year’s best value schools for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. MSU Moorhead is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Moorhead.

MSU Moorhead undergraduate students pay an average of $17,564 in tuition and fees each year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, MSU Moorhead also did well on our Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read full report on Journalism at Minnesota State University - Moorhead

#25

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, OH

Youngstown State University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Youngstown State University is a large public school located in the small 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.

Read More…

Rest of the Top Best Value Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools

#26

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA
#26

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL
#28

Kansas State University

Manhattan, KS
#29

Utah State University

Logan, UT
#29

University of Kansas

Lawrence, KS
#33

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA
#37

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

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

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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