What Journalism Graduates Earn
How much do Journalism bachelor's graduates earn?
Graduates of bachelor's programs in Journalism earn a median of $43,230 one year after graduation and $63,023 five years out, across the 169 programs reporting to College Scorecard. The median debt at graduation is $19,896.
What Journalism actually returns, in federal numbers: median earnings at three horizons for 15,650 counted graduates, and the median debt those graduates carried out.
Updated November 5, 2026
Median earnings at 1, 4, and 5 years (College Scorecard)
Nothing on this page is a survey response or a recruiter's claim: the $43,230 year-one median and the $63,023 year-five median for Journalism come from federal earnings records pooled across 415 bachelor's programs. The headline median weights programs by graduates counted (12,231 at year one); the second column is the unweighted median program, printed so the method stays visible.
| Horizon | Median earnings (graduate-weighted) | Median program (unweighted) | Graduates counted | Share earning above the high-school threshold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year after graduation | $43,230 | $41,407 | 12,231 | 55.5% |
| 4 years after graduation | $58,454 | $54,410 | 15,278 | n/p |
| 5 years after graduation | $63,023 | $58,361 | 15,650 | 75.0% |
Five years out, the median graduate earns $63,023, which is $19,793 more than the year-one median of $43,230 (46% growth). Set against the median field overall ($45,010 at year one, $65,763 at year five), this field starts below the pack and ends below it.
The Pell split adds a second lens on the $43,230 year-one median: graduates who received Pell Grants earn a median of $41,975, and graduates who did not earn $45,959, a gap of $3,984. Read it as a map of where each group studied and the networks they carried in, not as the degree paying two different wages for the same work.
Inside its own CIP family, Journalism ranks 3 of 5 published bachelor's fields by five-year earnings; the family median at that horizon is $63,023. Its closest sibling is Communication and Media Studies at $60,586, below this field's $63,023. Family comparisons strip out the broad field effect and leave the specific program choice exposed.
Ranked across all 182 published fields, Journalism stands number 103 by five-year earnings and number 111 by first-year earnings, and number 66 from the lowest median debt. Those three ranks together are the field's fingerprint: high earn rank with a low debt rank is the combination students are actually shopping for, and this field's spread between them is 37 places.
The debt side of the same degree
The median graduate in this field leaves school owing $19,896 in federal loans, the graduate-weighted median across the 150 programs reporting debt. That is 46% of the first-year median earnings, or about 5.5 months of gross pay at $43,230 a year. On the standard 10-year plan at the 2026-27 undergraduate rate of 6.52%, the payment is $226 a month and interest adds $7,238 over the life of the loan. Price your own borrowing with the student loan payoff calculator, and test the whole degree in the college ROI calculator or the college major ROI calculator.
Where graduates of this field earn the most
One field, many markets: the five-year median for Journalism is $63,023 nationally, yet the strongest programs below run far ahead of it. The ranking keeps a 30-graduate floor under every entry, and Northwestern University heads the list at $88,725.
| Institution | Median earnings, 5 years | Median earnings, 1 year | Median debt | Graduates counted (5yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern University | $88,725 | n/p | n/p | 125 |
| George Washington University | $84,878 | $53,658 | $19,875 | 46 |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison | $83,397 | $52,252 | $18,351 | 161 |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | $82,412 | $38,051 | $15,250 | 53 |
| University of Southern California | $82,049 | $51,919 | $15,500 | 80 |
A program median describes that program's own graduates in that program's own labor market; Northwestern University at $88,725 is evidence about a place and a mix of students, not a wage offer. Put the same programs' prices next to these figures with the degree cost calculator and the net price estimator before ranking anything.
Two more facts about the shape of this field: the five highest-paying programs in the table account for only 3.0% of the 15,650 graduates counted at five years, so the top of the table is a thin slice and not the field's center; and the leading program's five-year median of $88,725 sits 41% above the national field median of $63,023. Its graduates' debt figure is not published, one of the gaps this page leaves visible rather than filling.
Frequently asked questions
How much do Journalism graduates earn after 5 years?
$63,023 is the graduate-weighted median at the five-year horizon, built from 186 programs and 15,650 graduates counted. The one-year median is $43,230, so the measured early-career growth is 46%.
How much debt do Journalism graduates carry?
The median is $19,896 at graduation, equal to 46% of the first-year median earnings. Standard repayment at 6.52% over 10 years costs $226 a month.
Which Journalism programs pay the most?
Among programs with at least 30 graduates counted at five years, Northwestern University posts the highest five-year median at $88,725. The top five are tabled on this page with their debt medians beside their earnings.
Is Journalism a good major financially?
Financially, the field's own numbers are a $43,230 start, 46% growth to year five, and $19,896 of median debt. Whether that clears your cost of attendance is a personal calculation; the college ROI calculator and college major ROI calculator on this site run it.