---
title: Is a Graphic Communications degree worth the debt?
cip: 1003
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release)
sourceId: src:doe:college-scorecard:field-of-study:2026-06-10
---

# Is a Graphic Communications degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **55** colleges (55 of 55 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $26,474 ($30,228 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $26,618 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 1.06× a first year's pay
- **Across-college spread (middle 50%):** $20,878–$35,882 — the program you choose moves the number this much.


**How to read this:** these are MEDIANS across college programs, measured **1–2 years after completion** (early career, graduates only) — NOT lifetime earnings, and NOT comparable to a college's 10-years-after-entry figure. They cover **federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report**; small programs are suppressed. A field median is not a prediction of your outcome, not causal (who enters a field differs by field), and **not a "best majors" ranking** — earnings are one dimension of worth. Verify by field at the official College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/).

## By degree level

| Level | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt | Debt/pay | Colleges | Programs reporting |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Certificate | $16,989 | $28,332 | 0.42× | 3 | 3/3 |
| Associate's | $21,768 | $10,638 | 0.40× | 14 | 14/14 |
| Bachelor's | $26,474 | $26,618 | 1.06× | 55 | 55/55 |

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

Reflects who enrolls and where, not causal program quality.

| College | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Art Center College of Design (CA) | $63,126 | $37,000 |
| Rochester Institute of Technology (NY) | $51,726 | $27,000 |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo (CA) | $49,435 | $17,961 |
| Illinois State University (IL) | $47,259 | — |
| Ringling College of Art and Design (FL) | $44,528 | $27,000 |
| University of Wisconsin-Stout (WI) | $42,536 | $23,290 |
| 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 |
| Arizona State University Campus Immersion (AZ) | $36,798 | $18,964 |
| Arizona State University Digital Immersion (AZ) | $36,798 | $18,964 |
| Carroll University (WI) | $36,463 | $27,000 |
| University of Maryland Global Campus (MD) | $35,300 | $22,971 |

RECORDED College Scorecard figures + one DERIVED ratio (debt-to-earnings). Informs and compares; not advice on what to major in. Each college's full record: `/education/<slug>`.

Structured data: `/education/fields/graphic-communications.jsonld` · `/education/fields/graphic-communications.json`