2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Communication & Journalism School for You
Communication & Journalism is the #12 most popular major in California with 17,589 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.
The Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 54 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value programs for communication and journalism students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. 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.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 10 Best Communication & Journalism Schools
Our analysis found San Diego Mesa College to be the best value school for communication and journalism students who want to pursue a degree in California. San Diego Mesa College is a fairly 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. Communication & Journalism majors at San Diego Mesa College take out an average of $5,750 in student loans while working on their egree.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - Channel Islands. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California list. CSUCI is a medium-sized public school located in the midsize suburb of Camarillo.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSUCI are $6,817 a year. After completing their degree, communication and journalism graduates from CSUCI carry an average student debtload of $14,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $203.
Full Communication & Journalism at California State University - Channel Islands Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Jose State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California list. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Jose.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at San Jose State are $7,852 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, San Jose State is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Communication & Journalism Schools in California list.
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Out of the 54 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the # 4 spot on the list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public school located in the small 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 degree, communication and journalism graduates from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo carry an average student debtload of $16,719. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $310.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also did well on our Best Communication & Journalism Schools in California list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Communication & Journalism at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Report
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The excellent programs at San Francisco State University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best communication and journalism schools in California. Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SFSU are $7,304 a year. While working on their degree, communication and journalism majors at SFSU accumulate an average of around $16,122 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $167, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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California State University - Sacramento ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California 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. The average amount in student loans that communication and journalism majors at Sac State take out is $17,035. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $136, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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California State University - Long Beach landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value communication and journalism programs. CSULB is a very large public school located in the city of Long Beach.
CSULB undergraduate students pay an average of $6,846 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that communication and journalism majors at CSULB take out is $14,434.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at California State University - Long Beach
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With a ranking of #8, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on this year’s best value schools for communication and journalism students. Cal State Fullerton is a very large public school located in the suburb of Fullerton.
Cal State Fullerton undergraduate students pay an average of $6,976 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, communication and journalism graduates from Cal State Fullerton carry an average student debtload of $15,001. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $167, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at California State University - Fullerton
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Sonoma State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in California ranking. SSU is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Rohnert Park.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SSU are $7,988 a year. Communication & Journalism majors at SSU take out an average of $19,000 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $349.
Full Communication & Journalism at Sonoma State University Report
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California State University - San Marcos landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value communication and journalism programs. Located in the suburb of San Marcos, CSUSM is a public college with a fairly large student population.
CSUSM undergraduate students pay an average of $7,727 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Communication & Journalism majors at CSUSM take out an average of $16,710 in student loans while working on their egree.
Request InformationBest Value Communication & Journalism Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 2,086 |
| Oregon | 1,375 |
| Hawaii | 292 |
| Nevada | 523 |
| Alaska | 30 |
More Communication & Journalism Rankings in California
Communication & Journalism Related Majors for Communication & Journalism
Communication & Journalism Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Communication & Media Studies | 66,787 |
| Public Relations & Advertising | 21,099 |
| Radio, Television & Digital Communication | 17,669 |
| Journalism | 13,552 |
| Communication & Journalism (Other) | 1,128 |
| Publishing | 336 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Education | 327,871 |
| Social Sciences | 205,984 |
| Psychology | 195,678 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 55,820 |
| History | 32,731 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 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 Josh Hallett.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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