College Scorecard · field of study · all U.S. colleges

Is a Graphic Communications degree worth the debt?

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 55 colleges (55 of 55 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after

$26,474

Graduates only, early career.$30,228 two years out.

Median federal debt

$26,618

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay

1.06×

106% of a first year's earnings.

Typical debt roughly equals or exceeds a first year's pay — weigh the time-to-payoff.

The college you pick moves this a lot

The middle 50% of Bachelor's programs in Graphic Communications report early-career pay between $20,878 and $35,882 — a spread of $15,004 that depends on the program and who attends it, not the major alone.

25th pct $20,878 median $26,474 75th pct $35,882

By degree level

Each level is a separate decision — more schooling usually means more pay and more debt.

LevelPay · 1yrDebtDebt/pay

Certificate 3 colleges $16,989 $28,332 0.42×

Associate's 14 colleges $21,768 $10,638 0.40×

Bachelor's 55 colleges $26,474 $26,618 1.06×

Where a Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

The 15 programs with the highest reported pay one year after completion. This reflects who enrolls and where they live as much as the program itself — it is not a causal quality ranking.

Art Center College of Design CA $63,126 $37,000 debt

Rochester Institute of Technology NY $51,726 $27,000 debt

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo CA $49,435 $17,961 debt

Illinois State University IL $47,259 —

Ringling College of Art and Design FL $44,528 $27,000 debt

University of Wisconsin-Stout WI $42,536 $23,290 debt

University of Central Missouri MO $40,481 —

Brigham Young University UT $40,362 —

Baker College MI $39,944 —

Roger Williams University RI $37,588 —

University of Minnesota-Duluth MN $37,048 $24,500 debt

Arizona State University Campus Immersion AZ $36,798 $18,964 debt

Arizona State University Digital Immersion AZ $36,798 $18,964 debt

Carroll University WI $36,463 $27,000 debt

University of Maryland Global Campus MD $35,300 $22,971 debt

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in Graphic Communications, from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. It is not a prediction of what you would earn (your college, effort, and local job market vary enormously — see the spread above), not lifetime earnings (it is measured 1–2 years after completion, early career), not proof the major caused the outcome (who enters a field differs by field — selection, not causation), and not a "best majors" ranking: earnings are one dimension of worth, not the whole of it. Teaching and social work pay far less than the fields at the top of this list and matter enormously. Earnings cover federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report.

Also available: structured data (JSON-LD) · plain text · JSON. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release). · explore this field on the official Scorecard