Is a communications degree from Johnson & Wales University-Providence worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 90% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 69%. Compare the cost with other Rhode Island programs before deciding.

Johnson & Wales University-Providence Communications (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Johnson & Wales University-Providence communications graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,125, which ranks 4th lowest of 7 communications bachelor's programs in Rhode Island. That works out to about $266 a month over 10 years.

Bachelor's in Communication and Media Studies
Private nonprofit university
Providence, RI
About 20 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Johnson & Wales University-Providence communications graduates earn less than graduates of most communications programs nationally, $28,062 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,125 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Rhode Island programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$28,06215th percentile of 577 programs nationally

Median federal debt$25,1254th lowest of 7 Rhode Island programs

Debt-to-earnings90%Rhode Island median 73%, national 69%

How it compares

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

	Johnson & Wales University-Providence	Rhode Island	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$28,062	$33,596	$34,574
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,125	$25,125	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	90%	73%	69%
Programs compared		7	577

Debt and first-year pay at every Rhode Island communications program

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

Johnson & Wales University-ProvidenceOther Rhode Island programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $1,950 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$27,679Median debt $27,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$29,629Median debt $24,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $266 a month, or 11.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Providence area are about 2% above the national average, so a $28,062 salary here buys what about $27,573 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

$77,540

Median pay in Rhode Island. 1,140 people work in this job in Rhode Island. 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%: $47,750Top 10%: $129,360

Fundraisers

$75,410

Median pay in Rhode Island. 1,000 people work in this job in Rhode Island. 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%: $51,580Top 10%: $108,860

Editors

$77,960

Median pay in Rhode Island. 340 people work in this job in Rhode Island. 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%: $50,900Top 10%: $102,890

Public Relations Managers

$156,080

Median pay in Rhode Island. 210 people work in this job in Rhode Island. 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%: $83,400Top 10%: $252,810

About Johnson & Wales University-Providence

Tuition and fees	$42,419 / year
Average net price after aid	$31,027 / year
Admission rate	88%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	55%
Undergraduate students	3,868

Communications ranks 22nd of 24 bachelor's programs at Johnson & Wales University-Providence by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering Technology ($72,120), Computer Engineering ($62,056), and Finance ($53,555).

Other communications bachelor's programs near Providence

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Johnson & Wales University-ProvidenceProvidence, RI · private nonprofit		$28,062	$25,125
Brown UniversityProvidence, RI · private nonprofit	Under 1 mi	$23,738	$10,500
Rhode Island CollegeProvidence, RI · public	3 mi	$34,357	$25,000
Bryant UniversitySmithfield, RI · private nonprofit	10 mi	$45,071	$27,000
Roger Williams UniversityBristol, RI · private nonprofit	14 mi	$33,596	$26,000
Stonehill CollegeEaston, MA · private nonprofit	24 mi	$37,543	$25,000
University of Rhode IslandKingston, RI · public	24 mi	$36,785	$24,887
Salve Regina UniversityNewport, RI · private nonprofit	25 mi	$33,230	$27,000
Bridgewater StateBridgewater, MA · public	25 mi	$34,146	$26,848

Common questions

The median graduate earns $28,062 one year after graduating. The median across communications bachelor's programs in Rhode Island is $33,596.

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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island, ranked7 programs by pay and debt Communications bachelor's programs in the US, ranked577 programs by pay and debt All Johnson & Wales University-Providence programs, ranked25 programs by pay and debt