Majors
Best Colleges for Graphic Communications, by Earnings
94 of the colleges we track award a bachelor's degree in Graphic Communications, about 2,843 degrees a year. Across the 42 that report earnings, graduates make a median of $43,858 four years after finishing.
| Rank | College | State | Median earnings, 4 years out | Degrees a year | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | CA | $79,432 | 75 | 31.3% |
| 2 | Loyola Marymount University | CA | $76,522 | 14 | 45.1% |
| 3 | Ringling College of Art and Design | FL | $75,213 | 124 | 69.7% |
| 4 | Brigham Young University | UT | $73,941 | 22 | 67.8% |
| 5 | Roger Williams University | RI | $61,887 | 1 | 87.7% |
| 6 | University of Minnesota-Duluth | MN | $61,062 | 11 | 88.8% |
| 7 | University of Wisconsin-Stout | WI | $59,621 | 17 | 87.7% |
| 8 | University of Maryland Global Campus | MD | $58,759 | 64 | |
| 9 | Arizona State University | AZ | $57,618 | 92 | 89.9% |
| 10 | Illinois State University | IL | $55,723 | 14 | 88.2% |
| 11 | Rochester Institute of Technology | NY | $55,122 | 33 | 66.9% |
| 12 | Bowling Green State University-Main Campus | OH | $52,388 | 57 | 81% |
| 13 | Western Illinois University | IL | $50,751 | 1 | 71.2% |
| 14 | University of Idaho | ID | $49,188 | 18 | 75.5% |
| 15 | George Mason University | VA | $47,440 | 80 | 87.5% |
| 16 | Carroll University | WI | $47,327 | 18 | 66.8% |
| 17 | University of Charleston | WV | $47,037 | 4 | 61.5% |
| 18 | DePaul University | IL | $45,028 | 58 | 75.9% |
| 19 | Ferris State University | MI | $44,116 | 62 | 91.4% |
| 20 | University of Northern Iowa | IA | $44,066 | 10 | 92.7% |
| 21 | Columbia College Chicago | IL | $43,970 | 212 | 89.5% |
| 22 | Minneapolis College of Art and Design | MN | $43,745 | 24 | 48.5% |
| 23 | Savannah College of Art and Design | GA | $43,058 | 524 | 83% |
| 24 | Sam Houston State University | TX | $42,579 | 53 | 90.3% |
| 25 | Fairmont State University | WV | $41,784 | 3 | 98.6% |
| 26 | East Tennessee State University | TN | $41,074 | 49 | 86.2% |
| 27 | Webster University | MO | $40,168 | 18 | 86.2% |
| 28 | Pittsburg State University | KS | $39,946 | 40 | 89.4% |
| 29 | Laguna College of Art and Design | CA | $38,850 | 26 | 94.3% |
| 30 | Bradley University | IL | $37,657 | 17 | 76.8% |
| 31 | Lynn University | FL | $36,590 | 12 | 73.5% |
| 32 | University of Hawaii at Manoa | HI | $35,830 | 56 | 86.6% |
| 33 | Villa Maria College | NY | $35,482 | 9 | 86.6% |
| 34 | Pratt Institute-Main | NY | $35,100 | 56 | 73.3% |
| 35 | Huntington University | IN | $34,787 | 10 | 75.6% |
| 36 | College for Creative Studies | MI | $34,003 | 53 | 91.9% |
| 37 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus | NM | $33,612 | 30 | 89% |
| 38 | Columbus College of Art & Design | OH | $33,389 | 52 | 67.7% |
| 39 | California College of the Arts | CA | $31,068 | 46 | 91.1% |
| 40 | Kansas City Art Institute | MO | $30,798 | 25 | 54.8% |
| 41 | Regent University | VA | $29,565 | 18 | 38.1% |
| 42 | Atlantic University | PR | $23,042 | 27 |
52 more colleges award this degree but have no earnings figure, usually because the program is small.
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Frequently asked questions
Which college has the highest-paid Graphic Communications graduates?
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ($79,432), Loyola Marymount University ($76,522), Ringling College of Art and Design ($75,213), Brigham Young University ($73,941), Roger Williams University ($61,887) report the highest median earnings four years after graduation.
How much do Graphic Communications majors make?
The median across 42 colleges is $43,858 four years after graduation. By college it runs from $23,042 to $79,432.
Which colleges have the biggest Graphic Communications programs?
By bachelor's degrees awarded in a year: Savannah College of Art and Design (524), Columbia College Chicago (212), Ringling College of Art and Design (124), Arizona State University (92), George Mason University (80).
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 "Graphic Communications". Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal financial aid, working and not enrolled, four years after a bachelor's degree.
