Is a communications degree from Franciscan University of Steubenville worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 73% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 69%. Compare the cost with other Ohio programs before deciding.

Franciscan University of Steubenville Communications (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Franciscan University of Steubenville communications graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $24,953, which ranks 8th lowest of 19 communications bachelor's programs in Ohio. That works out to about $265 a month over 10 years.

Bachelor's in Communication and Media Studies
Private nonprofit university
Steubenville, OH
About 24 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Franciscan University of Steubenville communications graduates earn about what communications graduates earn nationally, $33,991 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $24,953 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Ohio programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$33,99145th percentile of 577 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$47,98441% more than year one

Median federal debt$24,9538th lowest of 19 Ohio programs

Debt-to-earnings73%Ohio median 66%, national 69%

How it compares

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

	Franciscan University of Steubenville	Ohio	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$33,991	$35,804	$34,574
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$47,984	$50,646	$52,771
Median federal debt at graduation	$24,953	$25,438	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	73%	66%	69%
Programs compared		19	577

Five years out, Franciscan University of Steubenville graduates earn less than the national figure and about $2,662 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 communications program

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

Franciscan University of SteubenvilleOther 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 41% between the first and fifth year.

Franciscan University of Steubenville grads, year 1$33,991

Franciscan University of Steubenville grads, year 5$47,984

All Ohio communications grads, year 5$50,646

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 $10,517 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$27,368Median debt $25,928

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$37,885Median debt $22,875

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $265 a month, or 9.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (53 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	40–59%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
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 Weirton area are about 11% below the national average, so a $33,991 salary here buys what about $38,182 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

$64,840

Median pay in Ohio. 6,670 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $41,540Top 10%: $121,460

Fundraisers

$64,080

Median pay in Ohio. 3,460 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $43,980Top 10%: $104,220

Editors

$72,160

Median pay in Ohio. 1,800 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $37,440Top 10%: $124,730

Public Relations Managers

$118,670

Median pay in Ohio. 1,400 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $59,540Top 10%: $211,290

About Franciscan University of Steubenville

Tuition and fees	$34,100 / year
Average net price after aid	$23,589 / year
Admission rate	58%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	75%
Undergraduate students	2,901

Communications ranks 8th of 13 bachelor's programs at Franciscan University of Steubenville by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($66,507), Marketing ($37,833), and Social Work ($36,697).

Other communications bachelor's programs near Steubenville

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Franciscan University of SteubenvilleSteubenville, OH · private nonprofit		$33,991	$24,953
Washington & Jefferson CollegeWashington, PA · private nonprofit	25 mi	$39,584	$27,000
University of PittsburghPittsburgh, PA · public	35 mi	$35,781	$27,000
Waynesburg UniversityWaynesburg, PA · private nonprofit	40 mi	$29,070	$27,000
Walsh UniversityNorth Canton, OH · private nonprofit	52 mi	$29,861	$27,000
Slippery Rock University of PennsylvaniaSlippery Rock, PA · public	56 mi	$35,840	$26,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $33,991 one year after graduating and $47,984 five years after. The median across communications bachelor's programs in Ohio is $35,804.

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 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 Ohio, ranked19 programs by pay and debt Communications bachelor's programs in the US, ranked577 programs by pay and debt All Franciscan University of Steubenville programs, ranked14 programs by pay and debt