How much debt do Oakland University communications graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $24,125, which ranks 4th lowest of 18 communications bachelor's programs in Michigan. That works out to about $256 a month over 10 years.

Is a communications degree from Oakland University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 64% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 69%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 5% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Michigan programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Oakland University Communications (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Oakland University communications graduates stay in Michigan?

Most do. 92% (183 of 198) were working in Michigan one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Communication and Media Studies
Public university
Rochester Hills, MI
About 87 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Oakland University communications graduates earn about what communications graduates earn nationally, $37,795 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $24,125 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. It is one of the higher-paying communications degrees in Michigan.

First-year earnings$37,79568th percentile of 577 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$52,79340% more than year one

Median federal debt$24,1254th lowest of 18 Michigan programs

Debt-to-earnings64%Michigan median 78%, national 69%

How it compares

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

	Oakland University	Michigan	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$37,795	$36,017	$34,574
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$52,793	$48,259	$52,771
Median federal debt at graduation	$24,125	$26,875	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	64%	78%	69%
Programs compared		18	577

Five years out, Oakland University graduates earn about the national figure and about $4,534 more than the Michigan median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Michigan communications program

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

Oakland UniversityOther Michigan 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 40% between the first and fifth year.

Oakland University grads, year 1$37,795

Oakland University grads, year 5$52,793

All Michigan communications grads, year 5$48,259

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned slightly more in their first year than other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $24,470 against $22,190.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$39,126Median debt $24,470

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$36,753Median debt $22,190

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $256 a month, or 8.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (204 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	5–9%
Paying down the balance	35–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	15–19%
In default	5% 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. Separately, 63 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $19,572.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

92% of graduates (183 of 198) were working in Michigan one year after graduating. Prices in the Detroit area are about the same as the national average.

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

$65,300

Median pay in Michigan. 7,510 people work in this job in Michigan. 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%: $38,560Top 10%: $117,290

Fundraisers

$66,130

Median pay in Michigan. 3,170 people work in this job in Michigan. 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%: $43,620Top 10%: $106,100

Editors

$63,090

Median pay in Michigan. 1,690 people work in this job in Michigan. 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%: $33,230Top 10%: $99,980

Public Relations Managers

$117,900

Median pay in Michigan. 1,720 people work in this job in Michigan. 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%: $70,680Top 10%: $213,360

About Oakland University

In-state tuition and fees	$15,262 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$23,188 / year
Average net price after aid	$9,120 / year
Admission rate	88%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	58%
Undergraduate students	12,351

Communications ranks 22nd of 40 bachelor's programs at Oakland University by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($80,623), Computer Engineering ($78,709), and Mechanical Engineering ($78,213).

Other communications bachelor's programs near Rochester Hills

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Oakland UniversityRochester Hills, MI · public		$37,795	$24,125
Rochester Christian UniversityRochester Hills, MI · private nonprofit	4 mi	$36,051	$26,166
Wayne StateDetroit, MI · public	23 mi	$36,595	$30,500
UM-DearbornDearborn, MI · public	25 mi	$31,735	$27,200
UM-FlintFlint, MI · public	34 mi	$35,982	$30,250
Eastern Michigan UniversityYpsilanti, MI · public	36 mi	$36,717	$29,102
University of MichiganAnn Arbor, MI · public	38 mi	$50,556	$20,376

Common questions

The median graduate earns $37,795 one year after graduating and $52,793 five years after. The median across communications bachelor's programs in Michigan is $36,017.

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 Michigan 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 Michigan, ranked18 programs by pay and debt Communications bachelor's programs in the US, ranked577 programs by pay and debt All Oakland University programs, ranked40 programs by pay and debt