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Best Value Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

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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.

2023 Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California

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

Top 10 Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo the best value school in California for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. 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.

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 in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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

Out of the 23 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Chico landed the # 2 spot on the list. Chico State is a large public school located in the city of Chico.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Chico State are $7,864 per year. On average, journalism graduates from Chico State take out $18,842 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Read full report on Journalism at California State University - Chico

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.

Read full report on Journalism at San Jose State University

#4

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA

Out of the 23 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Francisco State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SFSU are $7,304 a 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.

Full Journalism at San Francisco State University Report

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 very large public school located in the large city of Long Beach.

CSULB undergraduate students pay an average of $6,846 in in-state tuition and fees each 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

#6

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA

San Diego State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SDSU are $8,136 a year. On average, journalism graduates from SDSU take out $21,359 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Read More…

California State University - Fresno landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree journalism programs. Located in the large city of Fresno, Fresno State is a public school with a very 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

California State University - Sacramento landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree journalism programs. Located in the large city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public college with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Sac State are $7,392 per year.

Read full report on Journalism at California State University - Sacramento

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.

Read More…

California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. CSUDH is a large public school located in the small city of Carson.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSUDH are $7,060 a year.

Read More…

Best Value Journalism Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value Journalism Schools 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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