Free tool · federal data

What does this major pay at different colleges?

Pick a major, a degree level and a state. You get what graduates of each college's program earned four years after graduating and what they borrowed in federal loans, from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, with the national median for the same program as the yardstick.

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Communications, bachelor's programs nationwide

Nationally, bachelor's graduates in Communications earn a median $56,359 four years after graduating. Among 444 programs with federal earnings data, University of Pennsylvania (PA) graduates had the highest median, $114,266 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).

Programs with data
444
Highest median
$114,266
National median
$56,359
The link opens this exact comparison.
Communications, bachelor's programs nationwide: median earnings four years after graduating and median federal debt, in order of earnings.
CollegeStateMedian earnings, 4 yrs aftervs national medianDebt borrowed at this college (median)Add to the side-by-side comparison
University of PennsylvaniaPA$114,266+103%$15,000Compare
Northwestern UniversityIL$93,541+66%$17,687Compare
Cornell UniversityFigure covers 2 campusesNY$88,463+57%$14,400Compare
Santa Clara UniversityCA$84,206+49%$17,832Compare
Boston CollegeMA$83,586+48%$18,000Compare
Villanova UniversityPA$81,497+45%$26,228Compare
Boston UniversityMA$80,306+42%$23,250Compare
University of Michigan-Ann ArborMI$79,648+41%$19,941Compare
George Washington UniversityDC$79,112+40%$25,000Compare
Fairfield UniversityCT$78,081+39%$26,919Compare
Wake Forest UniversityNC$77,984+38%$22,250Compare
Fordham UniversityNY$77,244+37%$24,615Compare
Tulane University of LouisianaLA$76,945+37%$23,082Compare
University of Virginia-Main CampusVA$76,243+35%$20,500Compare
Roanoke CollegeVA$76,198+35%$26,820Compare
University of Southern CaliforniaCA$75,864+35%$15,875Compare
University of California, BerkeleyCA$75,612+34%$11,100Compare
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoCA$75,223+33%$14,857Compare
Marist CollegeNY$74,726+33%$25,000Compare
Manhattan CollegeNY$74,471+32%$25,500Compare
University of Maryland, College ParkMD$74,402+32%$17,250Compare
Elon UniversityNC$73,750+31%$21,999Compare
Hobart William Smith CollegesNY$73,650+31%$26,500Compare
Chapman UniversityCA$73,461+30%$18,777Compare
The Catholic University of AmericaDC$73,073+30%$27,000Compare

The 25 highest of 444 programs. Ordered by median earnings four years after graduating: one federal measure, not a ranking of program quality.

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Same major, other degree levels: Associate's · Undergraduate certificate · Master's · Doctoral · Graduate certificate

The Communications major guideHow much the college matters, by major

What these numbers are

Earnings: graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars. Only programs with at least 30 graduates in the earnings cohort are listed, and a multi-state system whose figure pools campuses in several states is left out of state lists. Median earnings of graduates who received federal student aid, worked, and were not enrolled in school; debt is the median federal loans borrowed at this college by graduates who borrowed (Direct Subsidized, Unsubsidized and Grad PLUS; not Parent PLUS, private loans or interest). Programs with too few graduates are suppressed by the Department of Education. Federal program group: Communication and Media Studies. Earnings reflect who enrolls and where graduates work as well as the program itself.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field-of-study data, 10 June 2026. Download every program (CSV).