How much debt do Loras College communications graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,166, which ranks 3rd lowest of 6 communications bachelor's programs in Iowa. That works out to about $267 a month over 10 years.

Is a communications degree from Loras College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 68% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 69%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Iowa programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Loras College Communications (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Communication and Media Studies
Private nonprofit college
Dubuque, IA
About 16 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Loras College communications graduates earn about what communications graduates earn nationally, $36,821 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,166 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Iowa programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$36,82163rd percentile of 577 programs nationally

Median federal debt$25,1663rd lowest of 6 Iowa programs

Debt-to-earnings68%Iowa median 65%, national 69%

How it compares

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

	Loras College	Iowa	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$36,821	$40,376	$34,574
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,166	$25,490	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	68%	65%	69%
Programs compared		6	577

Debt and first-year pay at every Iowa communications program

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

Loras CollegeOther Iowa programs

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

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $267 a month, or 8.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Dubuque area are about 13% below the national average, so a $36,821 salary here buys what about $42,164 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

$62,970

Median pay in Iowa. 2,890 people work in this job in Iowa. 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%: $38,890Top 10%: $104,700

Fundraisers

$63,930

Median pay in Iowa. 1,230 people work in this job in Iowa. 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%: $46,340Top 10%: $104,040

Editors

$57,200

Median pay in Iowa. 900 people work in this job in Iowa. 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%: $38,050Top 10%: $108,820

Public Relations Managers

$120,730

Median pay in Iowa. 630 people work in this job in Iowa. 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%: $74,040Top 10%: $194,860

About Loras College

Tuition and fees	$39,824 / year
Average net price after aid	$20,716 / year
Admission rate	100%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	68%
Undergraduate students	1,083

Communications ranks 8th of 10 bachelor's programs at Loras College by first-year earnings. The top three are Accounting ($61,147), Finance ($59,434), and Criminal Justice ($47,413).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $36,821 one year after graduating. The median across communications bachelor's programs in Iowa is $40,376.

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 Iowa 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 Iowa, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Communications bachelor's programs in the US, ranked577 programs by pay and debt All Loras College programs, ranked10 programs by pay and debt