2023 Best Value Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools in California
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
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 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 small suburb of San Luis Obispo.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $10,195 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.
In addition to its great value ranking, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is 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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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Chico. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Chico State is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Chico.
Chico State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,864 in in-state tuition and fees each 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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Out of the 23 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the # 3 spot on the list. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Jose.
San Jose State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,852 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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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 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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Out of the 23 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the # 5 spot on the list. CSULB is a very large public school located in the large city of Long Beach.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSULB are $6,846 per year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, journalism graduates from CSULB carry an average student debtload of $18,284.
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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 city of San Diego, SDSU is a public college with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SDSU are $8,136 per 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.
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California State University - Sacramento 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 #8 on the list. Located in the large city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Sac State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,392 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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California State University - Northridge ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of Northridge, CSUN is a public college with a very large student population.
CSUN undergraduate students pay an average of $7,043 in in-state tuition and fees each 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 landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree journalism programs. CSUDH is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Carson.
CSUDH undergraduate students pay an average of $7,060 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Journalism at California State University - Dominguez Hills
Request InformationBest 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 |
More Journalism Rankings in California
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 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.