How much debt do Governors State communications graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $20,340, which ranks 6th lowest of 24 communications bachelor's programs in Illinois. That works out to about $216 a month over 10 years.

Is a communications degree from Governors State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 75% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 69%. Compare the cost with other Illinois programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do Governors State communications graduates stay in Illinois?

Most do. 87% (48 of 55) were working in Illinois one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Communication and Media Studies
Public university
University Park, IL
About 24 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Governors State communications graduates earn less than graduates of most communications programs nationally, $27,071 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $20,340 in federal loans, less than at 82% of communications programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the Illinois median of $35,991.

First-year earnings$27,07111th percentile of 577 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$52,17993% more than year one

Median federal debt$20,3406th lowest of 24 Illinois programs

Debt-to-earnings75%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.

	Governors State	Illinois	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$27,071	$35,991	$34,574
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$52,179	$52,179	$52,771
Median federal debt at graduation	$20,340	$23,792	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	75%	68%	69%
Programs compared		26	577

Five years out, Governors State graduates earn about the national figure and about the same as 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.

Governors StateOther 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 rises about 93% between the first and fifth year.

Governors State grads, year 1$27,071

Governors State grads, year 5$52,179

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 $216 a month, or 9.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (31 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	40–59%

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 (48 of 55) were working in Illinois one year after graduating. Prices in the Chicago area are about 4% above the national average, so a $27,071 salary here buys what about $26,132 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 Governors State

Tuition and fees	$12,004 / year
Average net price after aid	$12,329 / year
Admission rate	48%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	22%
Undergraduate students	2,556

Communications ranks 15th of 15 bachelor's programs at Governors State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($80,391), Computer Science ($52,115), and Computer and Information Science ($48,567).

Other communications bachelor's programs near University Park

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Governors StateUniversity Park, IL · public		$27,071	$20,340
Purdue NorthwestHammond, IN · public	16 mi	$25,541	$28,000
Saint Xavier UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	18 mi	$32,169	$26,311
Olivet Nazarene UniversityBourbonnais, IL · private nonprofit	22 mi	$23,259	$27,000
UICChicago, IL · public	29 mi	$38,912	$20,750
DePaul UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	30 mi	$34,453	$22,916
Benedictine UniversityLisle, IL · private nonprofit	30 mi	$30,334	$26,000
Moody Bible InstituteChicago, IL · private nonprofit	31 mi	$36,963	$11,812
DeVry UniversityLisle, IL · private for-profit	32 mi	$47,622	$56,858

Common questions

The median graduate earns $27,071 one year after graduating and $52,179 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 Governors State programs, ranked15 programs by pay and debt