How much debt do Georgia State communications graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,854, which ranks 6th lowest of 12 communications bachelor's programs in Georgia. That works out to about $295 a month over 10 years.

Is a communications degree from Georgia State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 100% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 69%. Compare the cost with other Georgia programs before deciding.

Georgia State Communications (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Georgia State communications graduates stay in Georgia?

Most do. 94% (80 of 85) were working in Georgia one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Communication and Media Studies
Public university
Atlanta, GA
About 56 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Georgia State communications graduates earn less than graduates of most communications programs nationally, $27,917 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $27,854 in federal loans, more than at 91% of communications programs in the country. Several Georgia programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$27,91714th percentile of 577 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$53,34591% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,8546th lowest of 12 Georgia programs

Debt-to-earnings100%Georgia median 94%, national 69%

How it compares

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

	Georgia State	Georgia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$27,917	$33,286	$34,574
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$53,345	$48,769	$52,771
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,854	$28,427	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	100%	94%	69%
Programs compared		12	577

Five years out, Georgia State graduates earn about the national figure and about $4,576 more than the Georgia median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Georgia communications program

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

Georgia StateOther Georgia 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 91% between the first and fifth year.

Georgia State grads, year 1$27,917

Georgia State grads, year 5$53,345

All Georgia communications grads, year 5$48,769

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 $295 a month, or 12.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (75 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20% or less
Paused payments (forbearance)	40–59%
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. Separately, 20 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $6,266.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

94% of graduates (80 of 85) were working in Georgia one year after graduating. Prices in the Atlanta area are about the same as the national average.

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

$73,200

Median pay in Georgia. 6,860 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $43,590Top 10%: $128,190

Fundraisers

$72,010

Median pay in Georgia. 2,690 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $48,160Top 10%: $104,460

Editors

$76,650

Median pay in Georgia. 1,920 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $46,080Top 10%: $124,000

Public Relations Managers

$134,500

Median pay in Georgia. 1,540 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $87,120Top 10%: $227,310

About Georgia State

In-state tuition and fees	$8,664 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$24,840 / year
Average net price after aid	$15,931 / year
Admission rate	55%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	53%
Undergraduate students	26,623

Communications ranks 31st of 43 bachelor's programs at Georgia State by first-year earnings. The top three are Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($78,175), Nursing ($78,165), and Computer Science ($66,803).

Other communications bachelor's programs near Atlanta

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Georgia StateAtlanta, GA · public		$27,917	$27,854
Morehouse CollegeAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	2 mi	$26,839	$26,000
Emory UniversityAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	4 mi	$37,237	$21,000
Clayton StateMorrow, GA · public	11 mi	$34,493	$35,000
Kennesaw StateKennesaw, GA · public	23 mi	$43,420	$30,022
University of North GeorgiaDahlonega, GA · public	58 mi	$38,237	$19,000
University of GeorgiaAthens, GA · public	60 mi	$44,283	$22,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $27,917 one year after graduating and $53,345 five years after. The median across communications bachelor's programs in Georgia is $33,286.

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 Georgia 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 Georgia, ranked12 programs by pay and debt Communications bachelor's programs in the US, ranked577 programs by pay and debt All Georgia State programs, ranked46 programs by pay and debt