How much debt do Rutgers communications graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,000, which ranks 7th lowest of 13 communications bachelor's programs in New Jersey. That works out to about $265 a month over 10 years.

Is a communications degree from Rutgers worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 57% 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.

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

Q: Do Rutgers communications graduates stay in New Jersey?

Most do. 89% (373 of 421) were working in New Jersey one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Communication and Media Studies
Public university
New Brunswick, NJ
About 280 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Rutgers communications graduates earn more than graduates of most communications programs nationally, $43,649 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. It is one of the higher-paying communications degrees in New Jersey.

First-year earnings$43,64991st percentile of 577 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$72,41966% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,0007th lowest of 13 New Jersey programs

Debt-to-earnings57%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.

	Rutgers	New Jersey	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$43,649	$28,911	$34,574
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$72,419	$53,977	$52,771
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,000	$25,000	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	57%	76%	69%
Programs compared		15	577

Five years out, Rutgers graduates earn more than the national figure and about $18,442 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.

RutgersOther 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 66% between the first and fifth year.

Rutgers grads, year 1$43,649

Rutgers grads, year 5$72,419

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 $4,555 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$40,155Median debt $26,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$44,710Median debt $23,250

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $265 a month, or 7.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (399 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10–14%
Paying down the balance	50–54%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10–14%
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, 122 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $30,132.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

89% of graduates (373 of 421) were working in New Jersey one year after graduating. Prices in the New York area are about 13% above the national average, so a $43,649 salary here buys what about $38,777 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 Rutgers

In-state tuition and fees	$17,929 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$37,441 / year
Average net price after aid	$24,406 / year
Admission rate	58%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	84%
Undergraduate students	37,751

Communications ranks 38th of 74 bachelor's programs at Rutgers by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($87,594), Electrical Engineering ($82,598), and Computer and Information Science ($80,448).

Other communications bachelor's programs near New Brunswick

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
RutgersNew Brunswick, NJ · public		$43,649	$25,000
Kean UniversityUnion, NJ · public	17 mi	$27,983	$25,250
College of Staten IslandStaten Island, NY · public	17 mi	$29,702	$13,500
TCNJEwing, NJ · public	24 mi	$37,151	$23,000
New Jersey City UniversityJersey City, NJ · public	24 mi	$13,796	$16,914
Caldwell UniversityCaldwell, NJ · private nonprofit	25 mi	$22,371	$27,000
Saint Peter's UniversityJersey City, NJ · private nonprofit	25 mi	$28,911	$18,661
Pace UniversityNew York, NY · private nonprofit	27 mi	$35,992	$26,000
St. Francis CollegeBrooklyn, NY · private nonprofit	28 mi	$23,811	$26,125

Common questions

The median graduate earns $43,649 one year after graduating and $72,419 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 Rutgers programs, ranked75 programs by pay and debt