Majors

Best Colleges for Communications, by Earnings

954 of the colleges we track award a bachelor's degree in Communications, about 42,988 degrees a year. Across the 603 that report earnings, graduates make a median of $54,257 four years after finishing.

Rank	College	State	Median earnings, 4 years out	Degrees a year	Acceptance rate
1	University of Pennsylvania	PA	$114,266	62	5.4%
2	Northwestern University	IL	$93,541	82	7.7%
3	Cornell University	NY	$88,463	64	8.8%
4	Santa Clara University	CA	$84,206	140	48%
5	Boston College	MA	$83,586	153	16.4%
6	Villanova University	PA	$81,497	167	27%
7	Boston University	MA	$80,306	60	11.1%
8	Northeastern University	MA	$80,191	132	5.2%
9	Northeastern University Professional Programs	MA	$80,191	2
10	University of Michigan	MI	$79,648	209	15.6%
11	George Washington University	DC	$79,112	28	47.1%
12	Emory University	GA	$78,866	1	10.7%
13	Fairfield University	CT	$78,081	72	33.3%
14	Wake Forest University	NC	$77,984	124	21.7%
15	Fordham University	NY	$77,244	103	59.3%
16	Tulane University of Louisiana	LA	$76,945	145	14%
17	University of Virginia	VA	$76,243	152	16.8%
18	Roanoke College	VA	$76,198	16	83.1%
19	University of Southern California	CA	$75,864	269	9.8%
20	University of California-Berkeley	CA	$75,612	265	11%
21	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	CA	$75,223	71	31.3%
22	Marist University	NY	$74,726	204	56.5%
23	Manhattan University	NY	$74,471	54	78.9%
24	University of Maryland	MD	$74,402	247	44.8%
25	Elon University	NC	$73,750	48	66.4%
26	Hobart William Smith Colleges	NY	$73,650	34	64%
27	Gonzaga University	WA	$73,558	29	81.7%
28	Chapman University	CA	$73,461	98	65.4%
29	The Catholic University of America	DC	$73,073	23	82.8%
30	University of California-Santa Barbara	CA	$72,976	620	33%
31	St Lawrence University	NY	$72,839	47	54.3%
32	University of California-Davis	CA	$72,778	288	41.8%
33	University of Arizona	AZ	$72,758	252	86.1%
34	CUNY Graduate School and University Center	NY	$72,564	44	68.5%
35	University of Texas at Austin	TX	$72,210	203	26.6%
36	Loyola University Maryland	MD	$71,948	72	75.5%
37	Simmons University	MA	$71,138	19	70%
38	Stonehill College	MA	$70,618	24	66.3%
39	Roger Williams University	RI	$70,575	18	87.7%
40	University of Oregon	OR	$70,532	9	88.3%
41	University of Delaware	DE	$70,414	193	70.6%
42	Willamette University	OR	$70,412	22	77.1%
43	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	NC	$70,240	521	15.3%
44	Syracuse University	NY	$70,106	113	45.9%
45	CUNY City College	NY	$69,948	69	60%
46	Pace University	NY	$69,876	92	75.9%
47	Rutgers University-New Brunswick	NJ	$69,709	280	58.1%
48	University of Pittsburgh	PA	$69,573	40	58.1%
49	Gustavus Adolphus College	MN	$69,423	32	61%
50	Saint Anselm College	NH	$69,288	17	78.1%
51	DePauw University	IN	$69,228	44	57.2%
52	Loyola Marymount University	CA	$69,144	109	45.1%
53	University of New Hampshire	NH	$69,098	134	88.2%
54	Southern Illinois University-Carbondale	IL	$69,034	21	86.9%
55	University of Nevada-Reno	NV	$68,953	53	73.7%
56	University of San Diego	CA	$68,913	92	52.4%
57	Brigham Young University	UT	$68,843	58	67.8%
58	Sonoma State University	CA	$68,833	90	93.4%
59	The College of New Jersey	NJ	$68,654	79	62.3%
60	University of San Francisco	CA	$68,592	70	61.7%
61	University of Connecticut	CT	$68,542	254	52.4%
62	University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus	CT	$68,542	2	86.7%
63	University of Connecticut-Stamford	CT	$68,542	2	83%
64	University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus	CT	$68,542	2	88.3%
65	Bryant University	RI	$68,518	25	65.5%
66	University of Georgia	GA	$68,319	107	37.7%
67	Washington & Jefferson College	PA	$68,066	11	80.6%
68	Woodbury University	CA	$68,020	7	81.7%
69	American University	DC	$67,863	27	62%
70	University of California-San Diego	CA	$67,302	244	26.7%
71	University of Dayton	OH	$67,231	123	65.5%
72	University of Maryland Global Campus	MD	$67,181	153
73	University of La Verne	CA	$66,891	5	71.2%
74	Denison University	OH	$66,730	51	17.4%
75	University of Colorado Boulder	CO	$66,623	201	78.1%
76	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign	IL	$66,439	294	42.4%
77	James Madison University	VA	$66,436	413	71.5%
78	Saint Mary's College	IN	$66,335	22	76%
79	Virginia Tech	VA	$66,106	225	54.8%
80	Queens University of Charlotte	NC	$65,985	18	62.1%
81	Purdue University	IN	$65,517	122	49.9%
82	Norwich University	VT	$65,497	9	74.4%
83	McDaniel College	MD	$65,411	17	77.9%
84	University of St Thomas	MN	$64,917	31	85.4%
85	Lake Forest College	IL	$64,580	14	56.8%
86	Texas A&M University	TX	$64,533	374	57.4%
87	University of Rhode Island	RI	$64,520	200	72.2%
88	Saint Mary's College of California	CA	$64,456	23	86.5%
89	College of Saint Benedict	MN	$64,430	31	91.5%
90	Merrimack College	MA	$64,345	67	70%
91	University of Washington	WA	$64,153	281	39.1%
92	University of Washington-Bothell Campus	WA	$64,153	101	90.6%
93	University of Washington-Tacoma Campus	WA	$64,153	61	82.5%
94	University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh	WI	$64,103	34	86.5%
95	Furman University	SC	$64,014	47	43%
96	Keene State College	NH	$63,995	16	90.3%
97	Indiana University	IN	$63,855	381	78.2%
98	Augsburg University	MN	$63,850	18	82%
99	San Francisco State University	CA	$63,731	229	96.4%
100	Augustana College	IL	$63,730	39	62.7%

Showing the top 100 of 603 colleges that report earnings. 351 more colleges award this degree but have no earnings figure, usually because the program is small.

Keep this list

Email me the Communications rankings

The full table, plus a link to compare these colleges on admissions and cost.

I consent to receive transactional text messages (Conversational/Alerts, Appointments, and Booking Confirmations) from Dewey Smart at the number provided. Consent is not a condition of purchase. Msg & data rates may apply. Msg frequency varies. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. See our Privacy Policy, Terms, and SMS Terms.

I agree to receive recurring automated marketing & promotional text messages from Dewey Smart at the number provided. Consent is not a condition of purchase. Msg & data rates may apply. Msg frequency varies. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. See our Privacy Policy, Terms, and SMS Terms.

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.

Frequently asked questions

Which college has the highest-paid Communications graduates?

University of Pennsylvania ($114,266), Northwestern University ($93,541), Cornell University ($88,463), Santa Clara University ($84,206), Boston College ($83,586) report the highest median earnings four years after graduation.

How much do Communications majors make?

The median across 603 colleges is $54,257 four years after graduation. By college it runs from $26,285 to $114,266.

Which colleges have the biggest Communications programs?

By bachelor's degrees awarded in a year: California State University-Fullerton (647), University of California-Santa Barbara (620), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (521), Ohio State University (478), James Madison University (413).

Does a higher-earning program mean a better program?

Not on its own. Earnings reflect where graduates live, what jobs they take, and who enrolled in the first place, as well as the teaching. The figures cover only graduates who received federal financial aid, and small programs are left out, so a college missing from this list may still have a strong department.

Source: College Scorecard, Most Recent Data by Field of Study (U.S. Department of Education), 2026-06-10 release, federal program category "Communication and Media Studies". Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal financial aid, working and not enrolled, four years after a bachelor's degree.