Is a radio, TV, and digital media degree from Cedarville University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 45% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 78%.

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

Q: How much debt do Cedarville University radio, TV, and digital media graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $15,250, which ranks the lowest of 9 radio, TV, and digital media bachelor's programs in Ohio. That works out to about $162 a month over 10 years.

Bachelor's in Radio, Television, and Digital Communication
Private nonprofit university
Cedarville, OH
About 21 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Cedarville University radio, TV, and digital media graduates earn about what radio, TV, and digital media graduates earn nationally, $33,554 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $15,250 in federal loans, less than at 91% of radio, TV, and digital media programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying radio, TV, and digital media degrees in Ohio.

First-year earnings$33,55470th percentile of 127 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$38,74315% more than year one

Median federal debt$15,250The lowest of 9 Ohio programs

Debt-to-earnings45%Ohio median 87%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	Cedarville University	Ohio	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$33,554	$29,246	$29,633
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$38,743	$45,231	$47,705
Median federal debt at graduation	$15,250	$25,000	$24,250
Debt as share of first-year pay	45%	87%	78%
Programs compared		10	127

Five years out, Cedarville University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $6,488 less than the Ohio median. Several Ohio programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

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

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

Cedarville UniversityOther Ohio 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 15% between the first and fifth year.

Cedarville University grads, year 1$33,554

Cedarville University grads, year 5$38,743

All Ohio radio, TV, and digital media grads, year 5$45,231

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 $162 a month, or 5.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Dayton area are about 7% below the national average, so a $33,554 salary here buys what about $36,199 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

$69,350

Median pay in Ohio. 1,610 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $44,950Top 10%: $122,450

Web and Digital Interface Designers

$83,360

Median pay in Ohio. 2,520 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $48,940Top 10%: $151,090

News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists

$47,880

Median pay in Ohio. 1,340 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $34,310Top 10%: $82,320

Film and Video Editors

$56,410

Median pay in Ohio. 340 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $28,280Top 10%: $91,110

About Cedarville University

Tuition and fees	$37,150 / year
Average net price after aid	$24,468 / year
Admission rate	65%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	73%
Undergraduate students	4,024

Radio, TV, and Digital Media ranks 13th of 13 bachelor's programs at Cedarville University by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($76,615), Electrical Engineering ($70,276), and Mechanical Engineering ($69,178).

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

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Cedarville UniversityCedarville, OH · private nonprofit		$33,554	$15,250
Miami UniversityOxford, OH · public	52 mi	$50,938	$24,250
Xavier UniversityCincinnati, OH · private nonprofit	54 mi	$28,270	$25,642
University of CincinnatiCincinnati, OH · public	57 mi	$28,719	$25,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $33,554 one year after graduating and $38,743 five years after. The median across radio, TV, and digital media bachelor's programs in Ohio is $29,246.

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 Ohio 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

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

Radio, TV, and Digital Media bachelor's programs in Ohio, ranked10 programs by pay and debt Radio, TV, and Digital Media bachelor's programs in the US, ranked127 programs by pay and debt All Cedarville University programs, ranked13 programs by pay and debt