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Best Value Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

2023 Best Value Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

23 Colleges
$22,715 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$31,564 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree School for You

Journalism is the #66 most popular major in California with 1,622 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 Value Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 23 schools in California 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 10 Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools

Our analysis found California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo to be the best value school for journalism students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in California. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public school located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo undergraduate students pay an average of $10,195 in in-state tuition and fees each 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.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list.

Full Journalism at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Report

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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at California State University - Chico helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value journalism schools in California. Chico State is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of Chico.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Chico State are $7,864 a 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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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means San Jose State University is a great value for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. San Jose State is a very large public school located in the large city of San Jose.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at San Jose State are $7,852 per year.

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#4

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at San Francisco State University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value journalism schools in California. Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SFSU are $7,304 per year. On average, journalism graduates from SFSU take out $19,739 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $111, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means California State University - Long Beach is a great value for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. CSULB is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Long Beach.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSULB are $6,846 a year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, journalism graduates from CSULB carry an average student debtload of $18,284.

Full Journalism at California State University - Long Beach Report

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#6

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA

San Diego 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 #6 on the list. Located in the large city of San Diego, SDSU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

SDSU undergraduate students pay an average of $8,136 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, journalism graduates from SDSU take out $21,359 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

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California State University - Fresno came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of Fresno, Fresno State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Fresno State are $6,653 a year.

Full Journalism at California State University - Fresno Report

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With a ranking of #8, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on this year’s best value schools for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Sac State are $7,392 a year.

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California State University - Northridge 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 #9 on the list. Located in the large city of Northridge, CSUN is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSUN are $7,043 a year. On average, journalism graduates from CSUN take out $18,675 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

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California State University - Dominguez Hills 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. CSUDH is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Carson.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUDH are $7,060 per year.

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Best Value Journalism Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value Journalism Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 216
Oregon 155
Nevada 156
Hawaii 11
Alaska 19

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 23 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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