How much debt do DeVry University communications graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $56,858, which ranks 24th lowest of 24 communications bachelor's programs in Illinois. That works out to about $603 a month over 10 years.

Is a communications degree from DeVry University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 119% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 69%. Compare the cost with other Illinois programs before deciding.

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

Bachelor's in Communication and Media Studies
Private for-profit university
Lisle, IL
About 12 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

DeVry University communications graduates earn more than graduates of most communications programs nationally, $47,622 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $56,858 in federal loans, more than at more than 99% of communications programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying communications degrees in Illinois.

First-year earnings$47,62297th percentile of 577 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$47,760About the same as year one

Median federal debt$56,85824th lowest of 24 Illinois programs

Debt-to-earnings119%Illinois median 68%, national 69%

How it compares

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

	DeVry University	Illinois	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$47,622	$35,991	$34,574
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$47,760	$52,179	$52,771
Median federal debt at graduation	$56,858	$23,792	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	119%	68%	69%
Programs compared		26	577

Five years out, DeVry University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $4,419 less than the Illinois median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Illinois communications program

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

DeVry 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 is about the same in the first and fifth year.

DeVry University grads, year 1$47,622

DeVry University grads, year 5$47,760

All Illinois communications grads, year 5$52,179

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 $603 a month, or 15.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (29 borrowers)	Share
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%

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 Chicago area are about 4% above the national average, so a $47,622 salary here buys what about $45,969 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

$76,380

Median pay in Illinois. 6,200 people work in this job in Illinois. 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%: $47,690Top 10%: $139,570

Fundraisers

$66,440

Median pay in Illinois. 4,470 people work in this job in Illinois. 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%: $43,580Top 10%: $107,820

Editors

$76,060

Median pay in Illinois. 4,560 people work in this job in Illinois. 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%: $46,410Top 10%: $107,850

Public Relations Managers

$131,990

Median pay in Illinois. 2,770 people work in this job in Illinois. 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%: $75,730Top 10%: $221,440

About DeVry University

Tuition and fees	$17,408 / year
Average net price after aid	$30,770 / year
Admission rate	98%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	37%
Undergraduate students	27,825

Communications ranks 10th of 13 bachelor's programs at DeVry University by first-year earnings. The top three are Medical Laboratory Science ($70,874), Electrical Engineering Technology ($67,395), and Electromechanical Technology ($62,864).

Other communications bachelor's programs near Lisle

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
DeVry UniversityLisle, IL · private for-profit		$47,622	$56,858
Benedictine UniversityLisle, IL · private nonprofit	2 mi	$30,334	$26,000
Wheaton CollegeWheaton, IL · private nonprofit	4 mi	$39,321	$23,250
Aurora UniversityAurora, IL · private nonprofit	13 mi	$30,728	$23,262
Saint Xavier UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	22 mi	$32,169	$26,311
Northeastern Illinois UniversityChicago, IL · public	24 mi	$32,538	$15,630
UICChicago, IL · public	24 mi	$38,912	$20,750
Moody Bible InstituteChicago, IL · private nonprofit	26 mi	$36,963	$11,812
DePaul UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	26 mi	$34,453	$22,916

Common questions

The median graduate earns $47,622 one year after graduating and $47,760 five years after. The median across communications bachelor's programs in Illinois is $35,991.

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 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 Illinois, ranked26 programs by pay and debt Communications bachelor's programs in the US, ranked577 programs by pay and debt All DeVry University programs, ranked19 programs by pay and debt