How much debt do Rowan University communications graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,500, which ranks 10th lowest of 13 communications bachelor's programs in New Jersey. That works out to about $270 a month over 10 years.

Is a communications degree from Rowan University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 74% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 69%. Compare the cost with other New Jersey programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do Rowan University communications graduates stay in New Jersey?

Most do. 94% (95 of 101) were working in New Jersey one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Communication and Media Studies
Public university
Glassboro, NJ
About 97 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Rowan University communications graduates earn about what communications graduates earn nationally, $34,549 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,500 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several New Jersey programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$34,54950th percentile of 577 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$57,55767% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,50010th lowest of 13 New Jersey programs

Debt-to-earnings74%New Jersey median 76%, national 69%

How it compares

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

	Rowan University	New Jersey	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$34,549	$28,911	$34,574
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$57,557	$53,977	$52,771
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,500	$25,000	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	74%	76%	69%
Programs compared		15	577

Five years out, Rowan University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $3,580 more than the New Jersey median.

Debt and first-year pay at every New Jersey communications program

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

Rowan UniversityOther New Jersey 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 67% between the first and fifth year.

Rowan University grads, year 1$34,549

Rowan University grads, year 5$57,557

All New Jersey communications grads, year 5$53,977

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 $5,571 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$31,413Median debt $27,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$36,984Median debt $17,750

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $270 a month, or 9.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (78 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	40–59%
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. Separately, 31 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $43,901.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

94% of graduates (95 of 101) were working in New Jersey one year after graduating. Prices in the Philadelphia area are about 3% above the national average, so a $34,549 salary here buys what about $33,689 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

$80,130

Median pay in New Jersey. 4,980 people work in this job in New Jersey. 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%: $49,820Top 10%: $138,190

Fundraisers

$77,170

Median pay in New Jersey. 1,950 people work in this job in New Jersey. 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%: $51,490Top 10%: $129,990

Editors

$81,680

Median pay in New Jersey. 2,120 people work in this job in New Jersey. 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%: $53,150Top 10%: $138,610

Public Relations Managers

$174,980

Median pay in New Jersey. 2,420 people work in this job in New Jersey. 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%: $99,370Top 10%: $288,690

About Rowan University

In-state tuition and fees	$16,574 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$26,932 / year
Average net price after aid	$22,408 / year
Admission rate	78%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	67%
Undergraduate students	15,841

Communications ranks 28th of 42 bachelor's programs at Rowan University by first-year earnings. The top three are Construction Finishing and Inspection ($85,630), Nursing ($84,859), and Electrical Engineering ($79,612).

Other communications bachelor's programs near Glassboro

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Rowan UniversityGlassboro, NJ · public		$34,549	$25,500
UPennPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	17 mi	$53,022	$15,637
Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · public	19 mi	$34,496	$24,880
Neumann UniversityAston, PA · private nonprofit	21 mi	$32,386	$27,375
Saint Joseph's UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	21 mi	$38,024	$26,990
La Salle UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	23 mi	$36,037	$26,924
Villanova UniversityVillanova, PA · private nonprofit	25 mi	$52,294	$26,456
Arcadia UniversityGlenside, PA · private nonprofit	27 mi	$27,061	$27,000
Chestnut Hill CollegePhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	27 mi	$28,212	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $34,549 one year after graduating and $57,557 five years after. The median across communications bachelor's programs in New Jersey is $28,911.

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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey, ranked15 programs by pay and debt Communications bachelor's programs in the US, ranked577 programs by pay and debt All Rowan University programs, ranked42 programs by pay and debt