How much debt do Sacred Heart University communications graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,399, which ranks 9th lowest of 11 communications bachelor's programs in Connecticut. That works out to about $280 a month over 10 years.

Is a communications degree from Sacred Heart University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 91% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 69%. Compare the cost with other Connecticut programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do Sacred Heart University communications graduates stay in Connecticut?

Many leave. 36% (31 of 87) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Communication and Media Studies
Private nonprofit university
Fairfield, CT
About 75 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Sacred Heart University communications graduates earn less than graduates of most communications programs nationally, $28,884 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,399 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Connecticut programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$28,88418th percentile of 577 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$72,884152% more than year one

Median federal debt$26,3999th lowest of 11 Connecticut programs

Debt-to-earnings91%Connecticut median 82%, national 69%

How it compares

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

	Sacred Heart University	Connecticut	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$28,884	$30,399	$34,574
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$72,884	$52,358	$52,771
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,399	$26,000	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	91%	82%	69%
Programs compared		11	577

Five years out, Sacred Heart University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $20,526 more than the Connecticut median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Connecticut communications program

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

Sacred Heart UniversityOther Connecticut 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 152% between the first and fifth year.

Sacred Heart University grads, year 1$28,884

Sacred Heart University grads, year 5$72,884

All Connecticut communications grads, year 5$52,358

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 $9,801 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$21,344

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$31,145

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $280 a month, or 11.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (52 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	40–59%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

36% of graduates (31 of 87) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating. Prices in the Bridgeport area are about 7% above the national average, so a $28,884 salary here buys what about $27,029 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

$84,990

Median pay in Connecticut. 1,910 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $51,410Top 10%: $162,280

Fundraisers

$77,730

Median pay in Connecticut. 1,350 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $52,780Top 10%: $121,850

Editors

$85,950

Median pay in Connecticut. 1,050 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $47,020Top 10%: $145,340

Public Relations Managers

$154,210

Median pay in Connecticut. 890 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $78,130Top 10%: $288,180

About Sacred Heart University

Tuition and fees	$50,404 / year
Average net price after aid	$46,174 / year
Admission rate	65%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	73%
Undergraduate students	7,087

Communications ranks 10th of 12 bachelor's programs at Sacred Heart University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($90,830), Accounting ($60,375), and Computer and Information Science ($58,214).

Other communications bachelor's programs near Fairfield

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Sacred Heart UniversityFairfield, CT · private nonprofit		$28,884	$26,399
Fairfield UniversityFairfield, CT · private nonprofit	4 mi	$46,677	$27,000
University of BridgeportBridgeport, CT · private nonprofit	5 mi	$20,654	$25,812
University of New HavenWest Haven, CT · private nonprofit	15 mi	$27,918	$27,000
Western Connecticut StateDanbury, CT · public	16 mi	$27,909	$25,069
Southern Connecticut StateNew Haven, CT · public	17 mi	$29,984	$26,000
Quinnipiac UniversityHamden, CT · private nonprofit	23 mi	$37,199	$26,000
SUNY Purchase CollegePurchase, NY · public	27 mi	$31,881	$24,000
Manhattanville UniversityPurchase, NY · private nonprofit	28 mi	$27,488	$25,729

Common questions

The median graduate earns $28,884 one year after graduating and $72,884 five years after. The median across communications bachelor's programs in Connecticut is $30,399.

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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut, ranked11 programs by pay and debt Communications bachelor's programs in the US, ranked577 programs by pay and debt All Sacred Heart University programs, ranked14 programs by pay and debt