Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Value Journalism Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

11 Colleges
$28,936 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$33,011 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Journalism School for You

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, journalism was ranked #70 in the country. In fact 13,552 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 11 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region 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.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Journalism Colleges.

Top 10 Best Journalism Schools

Our analysis found Brigham Young University - Provo to be the best value school for journalism students who want to pursue a degree in the Rocky Mountains Region . Located in the city of Provo, BYU is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at BYU are $6,120 per year. After completing their degree, journalism graduates from BYU carry an average student debtload of $11,800.

In addition to its great value ranking, BYU is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Journalism Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list.

Read full report on Journalism at Brigham Young University - Provo

Out of the 11 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Utah State University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Logan, USU is a public college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at USU are $23,435 a year. The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at USU take out is $16,745.

Read full report on Journalism at Utah State University

#3

University of Wyoming

Laramie, WY

Out of the 11 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wyoming landed the # 3 spot on the list. UW is a fairly large public school located in the town of Laramie.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW are $16,957 a year.

Full Journalism at University of Wyoming Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Colorado State University - Fort Collins. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Located in the midsize city of Fort Collins, Colorado State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Colorado State are $31,470 a year. Journalism majors at Colorado State take out an average of $23,250 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $468, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Colorado State also made our Best Journalism Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list, coming in at #5.

Read full report on Journalism at Colorado State University - Fort Collins

Out of the 11 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Colorado landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the midsize city of Greeley, University of Northern Colorado is a public college with a large student population.

University of Northern Colorado undergraduate students pay an average of $23,785 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at University of Northern Colorado take out is $21,500.

Full Journalism at University of Northern Colorado Report

With a ranking of #6, University of Colorado Boulder did quite well on this year’s best value schools for journalism students. CU - Boulder is a very large public school located in the city of Boulder.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CU - Boulder are $38,358 per year. The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at CU - Boulder take out is $14,000.

CU - Boulder also claimed a spot on our Best Journalism Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

Full Journalism at University of Colorado Boulder Report

#7

Dixie State University

Saint George, UT
$16,986 Average Tuition & Fees

Dixie State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Dixie State College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Saint George.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Dixie State College are $16,986 per year.

Read More…

$27,502 Average Tuition & Fees

Metropolitan State University of Denver ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. MSU Denver is a fairly large public school located in the city of Denver.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MSU Denver are $27,502 per year. After completing their degree, journalism graduates from MSU Denver carry an average student debtload of $25,000.

Full Journalism at Metropolitan State University of Denver Report

#9

University of Idaho

Moscow, ID
$27,576 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Idaho ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. U of I is a fairly large public school located in the town of Moscow.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at U of I are $27,576 per year.

Read full report on Journalism at University of Idaho

#10

The University of Montana

Missoula, MT
$28,476 Average Tuition & Fees

The University of Montana landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value journalism programs. UM is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Missoula.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UM are $28,476 per year. While working on their degree, journalism majors at UM accumulate an average of around $23,367 in student debt.

Read More…

Best Journalism Colleges by State

Explore the best journalism colleges for a specific state in the Rocky Mountains region.

State Degrees Awarded
Colorado 267
Utah 124
Idaho 12
Montana 41
Wyoming 12

One of 5 majors within the area of study, journalism has other similar majors worth exploring.

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 11 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.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.