Best Journalism Schools Near Oakdale, CA (2026)

Oakdale, California has 26 accredited schools offering journalism programs, with tuition ranging from $1,168 to $21,010 per year for indexed programs. Oakdale has a population of about 23,155. Median household income is $86,478 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 21.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In California, the top-earning journalism-related role is Editor at a median $98,030 annually (BLS, May 2025).


Closest Journalism Schools to Oakdale

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer journalism programs near Oakdale, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Oakdale city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Oakdale. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

San Jose State University

San Jose, CA 63.9 miles from Oakdale
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
86.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,988
Avg net price $13,760/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 40

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

California State University-Sacramento

Sacramento, CA 63.9 miles from Oakdale
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
81.7 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 94%
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,876
Avg net price $9,338/yr
Tuition
In‑state$8,018
Out‑of‑state$20,618
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 81%
  • Programs offered: 30

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, CA 84.8 miles from Oakdale
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
20.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,008
Avg net price $40,613/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 21

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Skyline College

San Bruno, CA 89.0 miles from Oakdale
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
70.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 27%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,702
Avg net price $1,738/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 42

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

California State University-Fresno

Fresno, CA 89.1 miles from Oakdale
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
78.5 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 95%
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,244
Avg net price $7,000/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,350
Out‑of‑state$19,950
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 31

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA 89.2 miles from Oakdale
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
78.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,077
Avg net price $12,278/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Fresno City College

Fresno, CA 89.7 miles from Oakdale
  • 4 year
41.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,361
Avg net price $8,069/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 82

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

California State University-Chico

Chico, CA 146.3 miles from Oakdale
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
79.3 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 93%
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,172
Avg net price $14,480/yr
Tuition
In‑state$8,472
Out‑of‑state$21,072
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 30

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California journalism page.


Journalism Wages Near Oakdale

Oakdale is part of the Modesto, CA metro area (BLS area code 33700). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
News Analyst, Reporter, and JournalistN/ACA statewide
Editor$98,030CA statewide$94,169
Public Relations Specialist$76,610Modesto, CA$73,593

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Oakdale at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population23,155Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$86,478Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+21.4%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)104.1 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Oakdale-Area Cities With Journalism Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited journalism schools are near Oakdale, CA?

Our directory has 26 accredited schools offering journalism programs near Oakdale. The closest is San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, CA (30.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is American River College (67.2 miles). 10 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying journalism roles near Oakdale?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying journalism-related roles near Oakdale are: Editor ($98,030), Public Relations Specialist ($76,610). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Riverbank instead of Oakdale?

Riverbank, CA is 5.7 miles from Oakdale and has its own set of local journalism programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Oakdale an affordable place to study journalism?

Oakdale’s median household income of $86,478 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Oakdale while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Journalism Programs

Other Programs Available in Oakdale

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Oakdale:

Data verified: August 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.