2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in California
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Journalism 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.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Journalism Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 24 schools in California to see which programs offered the best value experiences for journalism students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
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.
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2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in California
Check out the journalism programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.
Top 10 Best Journalism Schools
Our 2023 rankings named San Diego Mesa College the best value school in California for journalism students. San Diego Mesa College is a large public school located in the large city of San Diego.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at San Diego Mesa College are $1,144 per year.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a great value for journalism students. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $10,195 per year. After completing their degree, journalism graduates from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo carry an average student debtload of $18,581. 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 Schools in California ranking.
Read full report on Journalism at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Chico. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in California list. Chico State is a fairly 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. Journalism majors at Chico State take out an average of $19,479 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Journalism at California State University - Chico Report
The excellent programs at San Jose State University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best journalism schools in California. San Jose State is a very 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.
In addition to its great value ranking, San Jose State is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Journalism Schools in California list.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Francisco State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in California list. Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public college with a very large student population.
SFSU undergraduate students pay an average of $7,304 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, journalism graduates from SFSU take out $17,052 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $111, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
With a ranking of #6, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on this year’s best value schools for journalism students. CSULB is a very large public school located in the city of Long Beach.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSULB are $6,846 per year. Journalism majors at CSULB take out an average of $15,413 in student loans while working on their egree.
Read full report on Journalism at California State University - Long Beach
San Diego State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for journalism students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
SDSU undergraduate students pay an average of $8,136 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, journalism graduates from SDSU carry an average student debtload of $23,046.
California State University - Fresno did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for journalism students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the city of Fresno, Fresno State is a public college with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Fresno State are $6,653 per year.
With a ranking of #9, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on this year’s best value schools for journalism students. Located in the large city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Sac State are $7,392 a year. After completing their degree, journalism graduates from Sac State carry an average student debtload of $19,070.
California State University - Northridge did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for journalism students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the large city of Northridge, CSUN is a public college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSUN are $7,043 a year. After completing their degree, journalism graduates from CSUN carry an average student debtload of $15,957.
Full Journalism at California State University - Northridge Report
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 |
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 24 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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