How much debt do City College of New York communications graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $15,827, which ranks 9th lowest of 45 communications bachelor's programs in New York. That works out to about $168 a month over 10 years.

Is a communications degree from City College of New York worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 37% 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. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several New York programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

City College of New York Communications (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do City College of New York communications graduates stay in New York?

Most do. 87% (104 of 119) were working in New York one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Communication and Media Studies
Public college
New York, NY
About 69 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

City College of New York communications graduates earn more than graduates of most communications programs nationally, $42,734 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $15,827 in federal loans, less than at 93% of communications programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying communications degrees in New York.

First-year earnings$42,73489th percentile of 577 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$59,59339% more than year one

Median federal debt$15,8279th lowest of 45 New York programs

Debt-to-earnings37%New York median 72%, national 69%

How it compares

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

	City College of New York	New York	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$42,734	$31,699	$34,574
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$59,593	$54,761	$52,771
Median federal debt at graduation	$15,827	$25,000	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	37%	72%	69%
Programs compared		48	577

Five years out, City College of New York graduates earn more than the national figure and about $4,832 more than the New York median.

Debt and first-year pay at every New York communications program

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

City College of New YorkOther New York 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 39% between the first and fifth year.

City College of New York grads, year 1$42,734

City College of New York grads, year 5$59,593

All New York communications grads, year 5$54,761

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 $168 a month, or 4.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (60 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

87% of graduates (104 of 119) were working in New York one year after graduating. Prices in the New York area are about 13% above the national average, so a $42,734 salary here buys what about $37,965 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

$81,250

Median pay in New York. 28,250 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $51,730Top 10%: $157,610

Fundraisers

$80,540

Median pay in New York. 11,600 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $53,670Top 10%: $132,510

Editors

$101,480

Median pay in New York. 16,800 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $57,910Top 10%: $179,370

Public Relations Managers

$180,880

Median pay in New York. 7,710 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $108,180Top 10%: $323,190

About City College of New York

In-state tuition and fees	$7,340 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$15,290 / year
Average net price after aid	$3,776 / year
Admission rate	60%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	57%
Undergraduate students	12,505

Communications ranks 13th of 30 bachelor's programs at City College of New York by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($83,258), Computer Engineering ($78,326), and Electrical Engineering ($78,172).

Other communications bachelor's programs near New York

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
City College of New YorkNew York, NY · public		$42,734	$15,827
Marymount Manhattan CollegeNew York, NY · private nonprofit	4 mi	$24,962	$25,500
Hunter CollegeNew York, NY · public	4 mi	$29,054	$11,000
Fordham UniversityBronx, NY · private nonprofit	4 mi	$46,405	$25,700
Lehman CollegeBronx, NY · public	5 mi	$32,484	$14,623
CUNY Graduate CenterNew York, NY · public	5 mi	$57,782	$14,125
Manhattan UniversityRiverdale, NY · private nonprofit	5 mi	$44,016	$26,000
Baruch CollegeNew York, NY · public	6 mi	$36,367	$7,892
The New SchoolNew York, NY · private nonprofit	6 mi	$22,365	$23,241

Common questions

The median graduate earns $42,734 one year after graduating and $59,593 five years after. The median across communications bachelor's programs in New York is $31,699.

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 New York 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 New York, ranked48 programs by pay and debt Communications bachelor's programs in the US, ranked577 programs by pay and debt All City College of New York programs, ranked30 programs by pay and debt