How much debt do Mercer University journalism graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,000, which ranks 4th lowest of 8 journalism bachelor's programs in Georgia. That works out to about $276 a month over 10 years.

Is a journalism degree from Mercer University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 79% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 67%. Compare the cost with other Georgia programs before deciding.

Mercer University Journalism (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Journalism
Private nonprofit university
Macon, GA
About 21 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Mercer University journalism graduates earn about what journalism graduates earn nationally, $32,807 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,500. Several Georgia programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$32,80738th percentile of 170 programs nationally

Median federal debt$26,0004th lowest of 8 Georgia programs

Debt-to-earnings79%Georgia median 80%, national 67%

How it compares

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

	Mercer University	Georgia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$32,807	$31,800	$34,515
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,000	$26,500	$24,500
Debt as share of first-year pay	79%	80%	67%
Programs compared		8	170

Debt and first-year pay at every Georgia journalism program

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

Mercer UniversityOther Georgia 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 $276 a month, or 10.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Macon area are about 11% below the national average, so a $32,807 salary here buys what about $37,058 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 journalism, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

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

Photographers

$43,770

Median pay in Georgia. 1,420 people work in this job in Georgia. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 10,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $22,690Top 10%: $103,550

Writers and Authors

$74,710

Median pay in Georgia. 820 people work in this job in Georgia. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 11,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $38,460Top 10%: $133,540

News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists

$81,910

Median pay in Georgia. 1,520 people work in this job in Georgia. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $38,280Top 10%: $161,040

About Mercer University

Tuition and fees	$42,312 / year
Average net price after aid	$23,847 / year
Admission rate	69%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	70%
Undergraduate students	4,500

Journalism ranks 11th of 16 bachelor's programs at Mercer University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($76,787), Engineering ($72,403), and Social Sciences ($61,612).

Other journalism bachelor's programs near Macon

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Mercer UniversityMacon, GA · private nonprofit		$32,807	$26,000
Georgia CollegeMilledgeville, GA · public	30 mi	$38,603	$25,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $32,807 one year after graduating. The median across journalism bachelor's programs in Georgia is $31,800.

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 journalism 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

Journalism bachelor's programs in Georgia, ranked8 programs by pay and debt Journalism bachelor's programs in the US, ranked170 programs by pay and debt All Mercer University programs, ranked16 programs by pay and debt