2026 Best Value Journalism Schools in West Virginia
[Journalism](/majors/communication-journalism-media/journalism/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 2 schools to find the best return on investment for journalism students.
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2026 Best Value Journalism Schools in West Virginia
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in journalism, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Journalism Schools
Marshall University tops our 2026 list of the best value journalism schools in West Virginia. Set in the city of Huntington, Marshall University is a large public institution. Students from in state pay about $9,162 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $20,342. Students borrow a median of $26,662 to complete the journalism program here. Journalism graduates of Marshall University earn a median of $23,169 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $26,662 median debt. Roughly 96% of applicants are accepted.
West Virginia University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value journalism schools. Located in the city of Morgantown, West Virginia University is a very large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $10,104, with out-of-state students paying around $28,608. Students borrow a median of $24,250 to complete the journalism program here. Early-career journalism graduates make about $34,075. That is a strong return on a $24,250 median debt. West Virginia University admits about 89% of applicants.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 2 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked 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 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
