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Best Journalism Schools by Graduate Salary & ROI (2026)

178 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score · Updated 2026

These are the top schools offering Journalism, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Journalism graduate earns $34,417/yr across 178 schools.

What do Journalism graduates do? See career paths and salaries →

Why Cal Poly's "Learn by Doing" Wins in Journalism

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo secures the #1 spot not because it's in a major media market, but because its "learn by doing" philosophy produces graduates who are immediately useful. In a field being reshaped by AI, employers prioritize skills over prestige. Cal Poly's program emphasizes hands-on production, meaning graduates leave with a portfolio of real work, not just theory. This practical focus explains their high early-career earnings of $48,637 per year, proving that newsrooms and media companies will pay for talent that can contribute from day one.

The Price of Prestige: Where Are the Famous J-Schools?

You might notice that household names like Northwestern, Columbia, and NYU are absent from our top 20. This isn't an oversight; it's a warning about cost. While Northwestern boasts the best debt-to-earnings ratio in our analysis, its high private tuition suppresses its overall ROI score. For a career with a typical starting salary between $35k and $50k, taking on six figures of debt is a massive financial risk. Our rankings show that a high-value degree from a public university like the University of Maryland (#2) often provides a much safer pathway to a sustainable career.

The Ohio Anomaly: How Regional Publics Outrank Media Hubs

The most surprising pattern is the dominance of Ohio University's regional campuses, which occupy five spots in our top 12. These schools aren't in major media centers, yet they deliver exceptional value. Their high rankings are a direct result of a powerful formula: very low four-year tuition (around $24,712) paired with respectable regional earnings ($38,246/yr). This creates a stellar 22.9x ROI, demonstrating that for journalism, a low-cost public education can be a much smarter financial bet than an expensive degree in a coastal city.

AI Won't Steal Your Job, But It Is Your New Intern

Every journalism program on our list faces high AI exposure (avg. 61%) for a reason. AI is already automating the grunt work: transcribing interviews, drafting basic summaries, and performing first-pass copy edits. This means the traditional entry-level job is vanishing. Your value as a 2026 graduate will not be in writing clean copy—it will be in directing AI tools, conducting original on-the-ground reporting that an algorithm can't, and exercising the sophisticated editorial judgment needed to separate truth from algorithm-generated noise.

Programs Ranked

178

Avg Earnings

$34,417/yr

Avg DW Score

34/100

AI Risk

Very High

61% task exposure

All Journalism Programs Ranked

Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.

#	School	DW Score	Earnings	ROI
1	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA · Public	56 49–57	$48,637/yr	14.3x
2	University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD · Public	55 49–57	$46,893/yr	14.3x
3	Brigham Young University Provo, UT · Private nonprofit	54 47–55	$46,652/yr	20.0x
4	University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI · Public	51 45–52	$40,942/yr	14.2x
5	University of Florida Gainesville, FL · Public	50 44–50	$38,164/yr	21.9x
6	University of Kansas Lawrence, KS · Public	50 43–51	$43,191/yr	12.3x
7	University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO · Public	50 44–51	$43,958/yr	11.0x
8	Ohio University-Eastern Campus Saint Clairsville, OH · Public	50 45–51	$38,246/yr	22.9x
9	Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus Chillicothe, OH · Public	50 45–51	$38,246/yr	22.9x
10	Ohio University-Southern Campus Ironton, OH · Public	50 45–51	$38,246/yr	22.9x
11	Ohio University-Lancaster Campus Lancaster, OH · Public	50 45–51	$38,246/yr	22.9x
12	Ohio University-Zanesville Campus Zanesville, OH · Public	50 45–51	$38,246/yr	22.9x
13	Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ · Public	49 43–50	$42,605/yr	12.0x
14	Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN · Public	49 43–50	$39,992/yr	13.0x
15	Utah State University Logan, UT · Public	48 41–49	$41,431/yr	13.9x
16	University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR · Public	47 42–48	$38,354/yr	14.4x
17	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN · Public	47 41–48	$42,450/yr	9.2x
18	Georgia College & State University Milledgeville, GA · Public	46 40–47	$38,603/yr	14.5x
19	The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX · Public	46 41–47	$39,336/yr	12.1x
20	San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA · Public	45 42–46	$31,788/yr	21.1x
21	University of Georgia Athens, GA · Public	45 40–45	$36,636/yr	12.8x
22	University of Mississippi University, MS · Public	45 41–46	$35,389/yr	15.4x
23	University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA · Public	45 41–45	$33,250/yr	13.6x
24	California State University-Chico Chico, CA · Public	44 40–45	$35,668/yr	16.4x
25	George Washington University Washington, DC · Private nonprofit	44 37–45	$52,015/yr	2.1x
26	University of Central Florida Orlando, FL · Public	44 38–45	$40,945/yr	15.1x
27	University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Norman, OK · Public	44 39–45	$36,744/yr	13.9x
28	University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO · Public	43 39–43	$34,022/yr	10.5x
29	Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO · Public	43 38–44	$37,644/yr	12.1x
30	West Virginia University Morgantown, WV · Public	43 39–43	$34,075/yr	14.4x
31	Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA · Public	42 38–42	$33,798/yr	20.0x
32	Iowa State University Ames, IA · Public	42 37–43	$39,347/yr	11.4x
33	Kansas State University Manhattan, KS · Public	42 37–42	$37,484/yr	11.5x
34	University of Nevada-Reno Reno, NV · Public	42 38–43	$36,109/yr	14.0x
35	Ohio University-Main Campus Athens, OH · Public	42 37–43	$38,246/yr	9.7x
36	University of Arizona Tucson, AZ · Public	41 36–41	$36,521/yr	9.9x
37	Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Tallahassee, FL · Public	41 37–42	$36,356/yr	18.4x
38	University of Iowa Iowa City, IA · Public	41 36–41	$34,743/yr	12.0x
39	University of North Texas Denton, TX · Public	41 36–42	$38,118/yr	11.0x
40	University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Whitewater, WI · Public	41 36–42	$36,139/yr	14.2x
41	The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL · Public	40 35–40	$35,509/yr	10.9x
42	California State University-Sacramento Sacramento, CA · Public	40 37–41	$30,644/yr	17.6x
43	Western Washington University Bellingham, WA · Public	40 35–40	$34,119/yr	13.3x
44	Auburn University Auburn, AL · Public	39 33–39	$38,357/yr	9.3x
45	California State University-Northridge Northridge, CA · Public	39 36–39	$30,564/yr	17.8x
46	Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO · Public	39 34–39	$36,352/yr	9.7x
47	Northwestern University Evanston, IL · Private nonprofit	39 32–40	$50,426/yr	1.7x
48	Michigan State University East Lansing, MI · Public	39 34–39	$36,912/yr	8.1x
49	University of New Mexico-Main Campus Albuquerque, NM · Public	39 35–39	$32,423/yr	14.9x
50	CUNY Lehman College Bronx, NY · Public	39 37–40	$26,319/yr	19.8x
51	Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH · Public	39 36–40	$31,955/yr	11.4x
52	University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia, SC · Public	39 33–40	$38,762/yr	9.1x
53	University of Houston Houston, TX · Public	39 34–39	$36,226/yr	11.7x
54	California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA · Public	38 36–39	$28,844/yr	18.4x
55	Indiana University-Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN · Public	38 32–38	$38,540/yr	10.0x
56	University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA · Public	38 33–39	$37,091/yr	7.5x
57	University of Alaska Anchorage Anchorage, AK · Public	37 32–37	$36,200/yr	11.0x
58	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL · Public	37 33–38	$36,303/yr	8.0x
59	Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Carbondale, IL · Public	37 31–38	$40,575/yr	7.9x
60	The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ · Public	37 31–38	$42,217/yr	4.6x
61	University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit	36 29–37	$44,651/yr	1.7x
62	Ball State University Muncie, IN · Public	36 32–36	$31,398/yr	11.6x
63	Boston University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	36 29–37	$42,857/yr	1.8x
64	University of Nebraska at Kearney Kearney, NE · Public	36 31–36	$36,703/yr	11.4x
65	University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE · Public	36 32–36	$32,553/yr	11.6x
66	Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ · Public	36 32–36	$32,523/yr	8.0x
67	Rutgers University-Newark Newark, NJ · Public	36 32–36	$32,523/yr	8.4x
68	CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York, NY · Public	36 34–36	$22,839/yr	17.9x
69	CUNY Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY · Public	36 34–37	$23,120/yr	18.3x
70	State University of New York at New Paltz New Paltz, NY · Public	36 33–36	$29,628/yr	14.4x
71	Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Bowling Green, OH · Public	36 30–37	$41,159/yr	7.1x
72	University of West Georgia Carrollton, GA · Public	35 33–36	$27,268/yr	19.3x
73	Northeastern University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	35 28–36	$51,855/yr	1.5x
74	University at Albany Albany, NY · Public	35 33–35	$28,553/yr	12.6x
75	Miami University-Oxford Oxford, OH · Public	35 31–36	$32,840/yr	7.6x
76	Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus Indiana, PA · Public	35 30–35	$37,263/yr	8.9x
77	University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI · Public	35 29–35	$37,875/yr	6.6x
78	Quinnipiac University Hamden, CT · Private nonprofit	34 28–34	$40,184/yr	2.2x
79	Georgia State University Atlanta, GA · Public	34 31–34	$28,416/yr	13.9x
80	Savannah State University Savannah, GA · Public	34 32–35	$24,310/yr	21.2x
81	University of Kentucky Lexington, KY · Public	34 29–35	$36,926/yr	8.0x
82	Syracuse University Syracuse, NY · Private nonprofit	34 28–35	$40,757/yr	1.9x
83	Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA · Private nonprofit	34 28–35	$45,256/yr	0.8x
84	Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Shippensburg, PA · Public	34 30–34	$32,294/yr	9.0x
85	University of Memphis Memphis, TN · Public	34 30–34	$32,820/yr	10.6x
86	Liberty University Lynchburg, VA · Private nonprofit	34 29–35	$39,592/yr	3.7x
87	Chapman University Orange, CA · Private nonprofit	33 27–34	$41,645/yr	1.8x
88	University of Northern Colorado Greeley, CO · Public	33 30–33	$30,216/yr	10.2x
89	Southern Connecticut State University New Haven, CT · Public	33 28–33	$36,153/yr	6.0x
90	Illinois State University Normal, IL · Public	33 28–34	$36,643/yr	6.6x
91	Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI · Public	33 28–34	$35,545/yr	7.4x
92	Rowan University Glassboro, NJ · Public	33 29–34	$34,038/yr	7.5x
93	New Mexico State University-Main Campus Las Cruces, NM · Public	33 29–33	$32,825/yr	12.0x
94	Appalachian State University Boone, NC · Public	33 30–33	$27,116/yr	14.9x
95	University of Oregon Eugene, OR · Public	33 29–34	$33,525/yr	7.6x
96	University of Richmond University of Richmond, VA · Private nonprofit	33 26–34	$43,157/yr	0.7x
97	Washington State University Pullman, WA · Public	33 28–33	$36,273/yr	6.0x
98	Marquette University Milwaukee, WI · Private nonprofit	33 28–34	$38,700/yr	2.4x
99	Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA · Public	33 30–33	$30,792/yr	12.3x
100	Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ · Public	32 28–33	$33,710/yr	8.6x
101	Pepperdine University Malibu, CA · Private nonprofit	32 26–33	$42,536/yr	0.6x
102	University of Idaho Moscow, ID · Public	32 28–32	$33,253/yr	8.4x
103	Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY · Public	32 27–32	$35,050/yr	8.5x
104	Morgan State University Baltimore, MD · Public	32 30–32	$28,088/yr	13.7x
105	University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg, MS · Public	32 29–32	$29,591/yr	11.6x
106	The University of Montana Missoula, MT · Public	32 27–32	$35,924/yr	10.0x
107	Fordham University Bronx, NY · Private nonprofit	32 26–34	$42,769/yr	0.7x
108	SUNY Brockport Brockport, NY · Public	32 29–33	$33,085/yr	11.2x
109	SUNY College at Plattsburgh Plattsburgh, NY · Public	32 29–33	$32,456/yr	11.4x
110	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN · Public	32 28–32	$32,082/yr	8.5x
111	Central Connecticut State University New Britain, CT · Public	31 27–32	$34,577/yr	5.9x
112	American University Washington, DC · Private nonprofit	31 24–32	$44,387/yr	1.5x
113	Drake University Des Moines, IA · Private nonprofit	31 25–32	$41,913/yr	1.9x
114	University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati, OH · Public	31 27–32	$34,829/yr	5.4x
115	Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX · Private nonprofit	31 25–32	$40,502/yr	1.6x
116	University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus Waterbury, CT · Public	31 29–32	$24,026/yr	8.5x
117	University of Connecticut-Avery Point Groton, CT · Public	31 29–32	$24,026/yr	8.5x
118	University of Connecticut-Stamford Stamford, CT · Public	31 29–32	$24,026/yr	8.5x
119	University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus Hartford, CT · Public	31 29–32	$24,026/yr	8.5x
120	Arkansas Tech University Russellville, AR · Public	30 26–30	$32,183/yr	10.5x
121	University of Central Arkansas Conway, AR · Public	30 27–31	$31,911/yr	10.0x
122	University of Miami Coral Gables, FL · Private nonprofit	30 24–31	$41,378/yr	1.6x
123	Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL · Public	30 26–30	$31,753/yr	8.3x
124	Emerson College Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	30 24–30	$39,703/yr	1.8x
125	Creighton University Omaha, NE · Private nonprofit	30 24–31	$43,139/yr	1.8x
126	Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH · Public	30 26–30	$30,925/yr	8.5x
127	Texas Southern University Houston, TX · Public	30 27–30	$18,301/yr	12.9x
128	University of Connecticut Storrs, CT · Public	29 28–30	$24,026/yr	7.1x
129	CUNY York College Jamaica, NY · Public	29 27–29	$24,535/yr	14.0x
130	SUNY at Purchase College Purchase, NY · Public	29 27–30	$22,011/yr	12.6x
131	San Diego State University San Diego, CA · Public	28 26–29	$30,269/yr	8.1x
132	DePaul University Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit	28 23–28	$37,388/yr	2.1x
133	Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, KY · Public	28 25–28	$29,647/yr	9.3x
134	Loyola University New Orleans New Orleans, LA · Private nonprofit	28 23–29	$37,206/yr	1.0x
135	Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI · Public	28 25–29	$31,845/yr	6.8x
136	Elon University Elon, NC · Private nonprofit	28 24–28	$34,105/yr	2.5x
137	Oklahoma State University-Main Campus Stillwater, OK · Public	28 25–28	$31,068/yr	6.6x
138	Temple University Philadelphia, PA · Public	28 25–28	$30,959/yr	5.1x
139	Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN · Public	28 25–28	$30,659/yr	7.1x
140	Angelo State University San Angelo, TX · Public	28 25–28	$30,008/yr	8.0x
141	Texas State University San Marcos, TX · Public	28 24–29	$33,255/yr	7.8x
142	Marshall University Huntington, WV · Public	28 26–29	$23,169/yr	12.2x
143	Biola University La Mirada, CA · Private nonprofit	27 21–28	$41,997/yr	1.0x
144	University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA · Public	27 24–27	$31,102/yr	4.5x
145	California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt Arcata, CA · Public	27 24–27	$29,686/yr	10.6x
146	Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit	27 21–27	$38,302/yr	1.7x
147	Ashford University San Diego, CA · Private for-profit	27 24–28	$32,459/yr	7.2x
148	Wayne State University Detroit, MI · Public	27 24–27	$26,591/yr	8.0x
149	Canisius University Buffalo, NY · Private nonprofit	27 22–27	$34,766/yr	1.7x
150	Hofstra University Hempstead, NY · Private nonprofit	27 22–27	$37,241/yr	1.7x
151	University of Central Oklahoma Edmond, OK · Public	27 25–27	$28,139/yr	11.1x
152	SUNY at Fredonia Fredonia, NY · Public	26 24–27	$28,485/yr	10.3x
153	Central State University Wilberforce, OH · Public	26 23–26	$28,306/yr	10.7x
154	Baylor University Waco, TX · Private nonprofit	26 22–27	$35,675/yr	1.8x
155	Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX · Public	26 23–26	$29,622/yr	5.2x
156	Radford University Radford, VA · Public	26 24–26	$25,675/yr	8.9x
157	University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Pine Bluff, AR · Public	25 23–25	$27,259/yr	6.6x
158	University of Maine Orono, ME · Public	25 22–25	$28,704/yr	4.7x
159	Suffolk University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	25 21–25	$33,628/yr	0.9x
160	Ithaca College Ithaca, NY · Private nonprofit	25 21–25	$34,453/yr	1.9x
161	Mercer University Macon, GA · Private nonprofit	24 20–24	$32,807/yr	1.0x
162	Lincoln University Jefferson City, MO · Public	24 22–24	$26,356/yr	6.1x
163	St Bonaventure University Saint Bonaventure, NY · Private nonprofit	24 20–24	$34,045/yr	2.2x
164	Hampton University Hampton, VA · Private nonprofit	24 22–25	$28,324/yr	3.8x
165	Gonzaga University Spokane, WA · Private nonprofit	24 19–24	$36,767/yr	1.4x
166	Columbia College Chicago Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit	23 19–23	$31,369/yr	2.8x
167	University of Minnesota-Duluth Duluth, MN · Public	23 21–24	$27,474/yr	3.8x
168	St. John's University-New York Queens, NY · Private nonprofit	23 18–23	$36,020/yr	1.3x
169	Point Park University Pittsburgh, PA · Private nonprofit	23 18–23	$34,887/yr	1.9x
170	North Greenville University Tigerville, SC · Private nonprofit	23 19–24	$34,293/yr	2.7x
171	Louisiana Tech University Ruston, LA · Public	21 19–22	$21,087/yr	4.2x
172	Montclair State University Montclair, NJ · Public	21 20–22	$25,575/yr	3.3x
173	Samford University Birmingham, AL · Private nonprofit	20 17–20	$30,311/yr	2.2x
174	Flagler College Saint Augustine, FL · Private nonprofit	20 18–20	$27,863/yr	1.6x
175	Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI · Public	19 18–20	$25,033/yr	5.8x
176	Rust College Holly Springs, MS · Private nonprofit	19 17–19	$24,977/yr	5.4x
177	California Baptist University Riverside, CA · Private nonprofit	18 16–18	$26,026/yr	0.6x
178	Widener University Chester, PA · Private nonprofit	16 14–17	$22,058/yr	0.0x

Scores calculated using College Scorecard, BLS, and AI task-exposure data. See full methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best school for Journalism?

Based on our DegreeOutlook Score, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ranks #1 for Journalism with a score of 56/100 and graduate earnings of $48,637/yr.

How much do Journalism graduates earn?

Across 178 schools, Journalism graduates earn an average of $34,417/yr in their first year. The highest-earning program reports $52,015/yr.

Is Journalism a good major for AI resistance?

Journalism has an average AI task exposure of 61%, rated "Very High". This field has significant AI exposure. Check individual program pages for scenario analysis.