How much debt do Jacksonville State communications graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $24,750, which ranks 4th lowest of 9 communications bachelor's programs in Alabama. That works out to about $262 a month over 10 years.

Is a communications degree from Jacksonville State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 70% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 69%. Compare the cost with other Alabama programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do Jacksonville State communications graduates stay in Alabama?

Most do. 76% (29 of 38) were working in Alabama one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Communication and Media Studies
Public university
Jacksonville, AL
About 31 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Jacksonville State communications graduates earn about what communications graduates earn nationally, $35,147 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $24,750 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Alabama programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$35,14753rd percentile of 577 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$39,14411% more than year one

Median federal debt$24,7504th lowest of 9 Alabama programs

Debt-to-earnings70%Alabama median 70%, national 69%

How it compares

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

	Jacksonville State	Alabama	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$35,147	$33,172	$34,574
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$39,144	$42,034	$52,771
Median federal debt at graduation	$24,750	$25,000	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	70%	70%	69%
Programs compared		10	577

Five years out, Jacksonville State graduates earn less than the national figure and about $2,890 less than the Alabama median. Several Alabama programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every Alabama communications program

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

Jacksonville StateOther Alabama 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 11% between the first and fifth year.

Jacksonville State grads, year 1$35,147

Jacksonville State grads, year 5$39,144

All Alabama communications grads, year 5$42,034

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 $262 a month, or 8.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (70 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20% or less
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

76% of graduates (29 of 38) were working in Alabama one year after graduating. Prices in the Anniston area are about 14% below the national average, so a $35,147 salary here buys what about $40,893 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

$61,710

Median pay in Alabama. 2,410 people work in this job in Alabama. 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%: $39,320Top 10%: $111,970

Fundraisers

$60,120

Median pay in Alabama. 1,120 people work in this job in Alabama. 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%: $38,440Top 10%: $84,740

Editors

$63,330

Median pay in Alabama. 530 people work in this job in Alabama. 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%: $35,600Top 10%: $103,890

Public Relations Managers

$98,210

Median pay in Alabama. 540 people work in this job in Alabama. 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%: $63,380Top 10%: $176,630

About Jacksonville State

In-state tuition and fees	$12,894 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$23,334 / year
Average net price after aid	$14,279 / year
Admission rate	78%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	55%
Undergraduate students	7,036

Communications ranks 14th of 26 bachelor's programs at Jacksonville State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($68,896), Computer and Information Science ($62,795), and Quality Control and Safety Technology ($57,466).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $35,147 one year after graduating and $39,144 five years after. The median across communications bachelor's programs in Alabama is $33,172.

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 Alabama 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 Alabama, ranked10 programs by pay and debt Communications bachelor's programs in the US, ranked577 programs by pay and debt All Jacksonville State programs, ranked26 programs by pay and debt