How much debt do Brown University communications graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $10,500, which ranks the lowest of 7 communications bachelor's programs in Rhode Island. That works out to about $111 a month over 10 years.

Is a communications degree from Brown University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 44% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 69%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Rhode Island programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Brown University Communications (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Communication and Media Studies
Private nonprofit university
Providence, RI
About 34 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Brown University communications graduates earn less than graduates of most communications programs nationally, $23,738 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $10,500 in federal loans, less than at 99% of communications programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the Rhode Island median of $33,596.

First-year earnings$23,7384th percentile of 577 programs nationally

Median federal debt$10,500The lowest of 7 Rhode Island programs

Debt-to-earnings44%Rhode Island median 73%, national 69%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Rhode Island and national columns are the medians across all communications bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Brown University	Rhode Island	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$23,738	$33,596	$34,574
Median federal debt at graduation	$10,500	$25,125	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	44%	73%	69%
Programs compared		7	577

Debt and first-year pay at every Rhode Island communications program

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

Brown UniversityOther Rhode Island programs

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

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $111 a month, or 5.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Providence area are about 2% above the national average, so a $23,738 salary here buys what about $23,324 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 communications, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Public Relations Specialists

$77,540

Median pay in Rhode Island. 1,140 people work in this job in Rhode Island. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 23,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $47,750Top 10%: $129,360

Fundraisers

$75,410

Median pay in Rhode Island. 1,000 people work in this job in Rhode Island. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 10,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $51,580Top 10%: $108,860

Editors

$77,960

Median pay in Rhode Island. 340 people work in this job in Rhode Island. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 7,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $50,900Top 10%: $102,890

Public Relations Managers

$156,080

Median pay in Rhode Island. 210 people work in this job in Rhode Island. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 6,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $83,400Top 10%: $252,810

About Brown University

Tuition and fees	$71,412 / year
Average net price after aid	$25,184 / year
Admission rate	5%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	96%
Undergraduate students	7,226

Communications ranks 22nd of 24 bachelor's programs at Brown University by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($151,065), Applied Mathematics ($99,193), and Engineering ($86,416).

Other communications bachelor's programs near Providence

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Brown UniversityProvidence, RI · private nonprofit		$23,738	$10,500
Johnson & Wales University-ProvidenceProvidence, RI · private nonprofit	Under 1 mi	$28,062	$25,125
Rhode Island CollegeProvidence, RI · public	3 mi	$34,357	$25,000
Bryant UniversitySmithfield, RI · private nonprofit	10 mi	$45,071	$27,000
Roger Williams UniversityBristol, RI · private nonprofit	14 mi	$33,596	$26,000
Stonehill CollegeEaston, MA · private nonprofit	23 mi	$37,543	$25,000
University of Rhode IslandKingston, RI · public	24 mi	$36,785	$24,887
Bridgewater StateBridgewater, MA · public	25 mi	$34,146	$26,848
Salve Regina UniversityNewport, RI · private nonprofit	25 mi	$33,230	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $23,738 one year after graduating. The median across communications bachelor's programs in Rhode Island is $33,596.

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 Rhode Island 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 communications program.

Sources

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

Communications bachelor's programs in Rhode Island, ranked7 programs by pay and debt Communications bachelor's programs in the US, ranked577 programs by pay and debt All Brown University programs, ranked24 programs by pay and debt