Best Schools for Journalism
Journalism graduates earn a median of $55,281 within four years of graduating, ranking #188 out of 283 tracked majors — 12% below the median across all fields. There are 224 colleges nationwide with tracked earnings for this major, producing 15,318 recent graduates.
Where you study matters: Lehigh University graduates earn $81,935 while Universidad del Sagrado Corazon graduates earn $29,511 — a $52,424 difference. Factors like location, employer networks, co-op programs, and curriculum focus drive this gap. Across all fields, though, which major you pick separates earnings more than which college does.
Early career salary growth is modest: Journalism graduates see an average 3% increase between year 1 and year 2 post-graduation, reflecting career advancement and skill development in the first years after college.
Public vs Private: Journalism
Private schools produce $7,517 more in early earnings on average for Journalism graduates. Factor in tuition difference to calculate which offers better ROI.
Journalism by State
Also by state: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, West Virginia, Wisconsin
Top Journalism Schools by Graduate Earnings
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA · Private
George Washington University
Washington, DC · Private
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL · Private
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA · Private
Chapman University
Orange, CA · Private
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI · Public
Northeastern University
Boston, MA · Private
Fordham University
Bronx, NY · Private
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL · Private
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA · Public
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY · Private
Elon University
Elon, NC · Private
University of Missouri-Columbia
Columbia, MO · Public
University of Maryland-College Park
College Park, MD · Public
Creighton University
Omaha, NE · Private
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL · Public
The College of New Jersey
Ewing, NJ · Public
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN · Public
American University
Washington, DC · Private
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR · Public
Boston University
Boston, MA · Private
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY · Public
Arizona State University Campus Immersion
Tempe, AZ · Public
Baylor University
Waco, TX · Private
California State University-Chico
Chico, CA · Public
Emerson College
Boston, MA · Private
Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI · Private
Drake University
Des Moines, IA · Private
Gonzaga University
Spokane, WA · Private
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
New Brunswick, NJ · Public
Rutgers University-Newark
Newark, NJ · Public
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS · Public
Long Island University
Brookville, NY · Private
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
University Park, PA · Public
Pennsylvania State University-World Campus
University Park, PA · Public
Quinnipiac University
Hamden, CT · Private
Utah State University
Logan, UT · Public
DePaul University
Chicago, IL · Private
Hampton University
Hampton, VA · Private
Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY · Private
Ithaca College
Ithaca, NY · Private
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX · Public
Miami University-Oxford
Oxford, OH · Public
University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL · Public
University of Georgia
Athens, GA · Public
CUNY Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, NY · Public
Biola University
La Mirada, CA · Private
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT · Public
University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus
Waterbury, CT · Public
University of Connecticut-Avery Point
Groton, CT · Public
Showing top 50 of 224 schools. View all or filter by state above.
Majors with Similar Earnings
Frequently Asked Questions
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Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are median 2 years after graduation for bachelor's degree holders, from the field-of-study file last updated June 2026. Institution-level figures elsewhere on the site come from the June 2026 release — Scorecard publishes the two separately.
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