Bradley University Radio, TV, and Digital Media (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

  • Bachelor's in Radio, Television, and Digital Communication
  • Private nonprofit university
  • Peoria, IL
  • About 17 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Bradley University radio, TV, and digital media graduates earn about what radio, TV, and digital media graduates earn nationally, $32,742 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, more than at 76% of radio, TV, and digital media programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying radio, TV, and digital media degrees in Illinois.

First-year earnings$32,74268th percentile of 127 programs nationally
Earnings after 5 years$48,44648% more than year one
Median federal debt$27,0005th lowest of 8 Illinois programs
Debt-to-earnings82%Illinois median 98%, national 78%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Illinois and national columns are the medians across all radio, TV, and digital media bachelor's programs that report the figure.

Five years out, Bradley University graduates earn about the national figure and about $3,295 more than the Illinois median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Illinois radio, TV, and digital media program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Illinois medians.

Bradley UniversityOther Illinois programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 48% between the first and fifth year.

Bradley University grads, year 1$32,742
Bradley University grads, year 5$48,446
All Illinois radio, TV, and digital media grads, year 5$45,151

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 10.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Peoria area are about 9% below the national average, so a $32,742 salary here buys what about $35,889 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to radio, TV, and digital media, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Producers and Directors

$81,080

Median pay in Illinois. 3,170 people work in this job in Illinois. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 12,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $41,250Top 10%: $169,040

Web and Digital Interface Designers

$85,710

Median pay in Illinois. 2,050 people work in this job in Illinois. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 8,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $58,090Top 10%: $157,670

News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists

$60,590

Median pay in Illinois. 1,060 people work in this job in Illinois. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $36,680Top 10%: $140,620

Film and Video Editors

$72,460

Median pay in Illinois. 310 people work in this job in Illinois. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $46,710Top 10%: $116,720

About Bradley University

Radio, TV, and Digital Media ranks 20th of 26 bachelor's programs at Bradley University by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($76,475), Nursing ($73,143), and Civil Engineering ($72,573).

Other radio, TV, and digital media bachelor's programs near Peoria

Common questions

The median graduate earns $32,742 one year after graduating and $48,446 five years after. The median across radio, TV, and digital media bachelor's programs in Illinois is $26,845.

About this data

  • Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
  • Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
  • Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
  • Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Illinois comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
  • Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
  • School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the radio, TV, and digital media program.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
  2. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
  3. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
  4. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

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