How much debt do CSU Global communications graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $32,010, which ranks 10th lowest of 10 communications bachelor's programs in Colorado. That works out to about $339 a month over 10 years.

Is a communications degree from CSU Global worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 65% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 69%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less.

CSU Global Communications (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Communication and Media Studies
Public university
Denver, CO
About 13 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

CSU Global communications graduates earn more than graduates of most communications programs nationally, $49,436 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $32,010 in federal loans, more than at 98% of communications programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying communications degrees in Colorado.

First-year earnings$49,43697th percentile of 577 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$76,11154% more than year one

Median federal debt$32,01010th lowest of 10 Colorado programs

Debt-to-earnings65%Colorado median 68%, national 69%

How it compares

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

	CSU Global	Colorado	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$49,436	$37,066	$34,574
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$76,111	$54,306	$52,771
Median federal debt at graduation	$32,010	$24,500	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	65%	68%	69%
Programs compared		10	577

Five years out, CSU Global graduates earn more than the national figure and about $21,805 more than the Colorado median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Colorado communications program

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

CSU GlobalOther Colorado 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 54% between the first and fifth year.

CSU Global grads, year 1$49,436

CSU Global grads, year 5$76,111

All Colorado communications grads, year 5$54,306

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

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $8,015 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$45,707Median debt $32,925

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$53,722Median debt $25,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $339 a month, or 8.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (92 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%
In default	20% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Denver area are about 6% above the national average, so a $49,436 salary here buys what about $46,734 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

$80,680

Median pay in Colorado. 7,410 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $51,710Top 10%: $139,040

Fundraisers

$74,440

Median pay in Colorado. 2,470 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $50,320Top 10%: $113,720

Editors

$77,870

Median pay in Colorado. 1,830 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $44,570Top 10%: $115,940

Public Relations Managers

$162,870

Median pay in Colorado. 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%: $98,180Top 10%: $238,240

About CSU Global

Tuition and fees	$9,000 / year
Average net price after aid	$16,510 / year
Admission rate	98%
Undergraduate students	6,563

Communications ranks 9th of 11 bachelor's programs at CSU Global by first-year earnings. The top three are Management Information Systems ($74,960), Business Administration ($69,863), and Computer and Information Science ($68,010).

Other communications bachelor's programs near Denver

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
CSU GlobalDenver, CO · public		$49,436	$32,010
University of DenverDenver, CO · private nonprofit	5 mi	$36,234	$24,500
Colorado Christian UniversityLakewood, CO · private nonprofit	6 mi	$37,129	$26,000
CU DenverDenver, CO · public	8 mi	$39,662	$27,000
CU BoulderBoulder, CO · public	24 mi	$39,738	$17,500
University of Northern ColoradoGreeley, CO · public	49 mi	$34,892	$24,939
Colorado StateFort Collins, CO · public	58 mi	$38,731	$24,647
UCCSColorado Springs, CO · public	60 mi	$37,002	$19,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $49,436 one year after graduating and $76,111 five years after. The median across communications bachelor's programs in Colorado is $37,066.

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 Colorado 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 Colorado, ranked10 programs by pay and debt Communications bachelor's programs in the US, ranked577 programs by pay and debt All CSU Global programs, ranked12 programs by pay and debt