How much debt do Seattle University communications graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $19,500, which ranks 4th lowest of 10 communications bachelor's programs in Washington. That works out to about $207 a month over 10 years.

Is a communications degree from Seattle University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 50% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 69%.

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

Q: Do Seattle University communications graduates stay in Washington?

Most do. 56% (20 of 36) were working in Washington one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Communication and Media Studies
Private nonprofit university
Seattle, WA
About 28 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Seattle University communications graduates earn more than graduates of most communications programs nationally, $39,316 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $19,500 in federal loans, less than at 85% of communications programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying communications degrees in Washington.

First-year earnings$39,31676th percentile of 577 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$70,74080% more than year one

Median federal debt$19,5004th lowest of 10 Washington programs

Debt-to-earnings50%Washington median 58%, national 69%

How it compares

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

	Seattle University	Washington	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$39,316	$37,782	$34,574
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$70,740	$58,390	$52,771
Median federal debt at graduation	$19,500	$22,438	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	50%	58%	69%
Programs compared		11	577

Five years out, Seattle University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $12,351 more than the Washington median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Washington communications program

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

Seattle UniversityOther Washington 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 80% between the first and fifth year.

Seattle University grads, year 1$39,316

Seattle University grads, year 5$70,740

All Washington communications grads, year 5$58,390

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

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $207 a month, or 6.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

56% of graduates (20 of 36) were working in Washington one year after graduating. Prices in the Seattle area are about 11% above the national average, so a $39,316 salary here buys what about $35,377 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

$87,470

Median pay in Washington. 6,430 people work in this job in Washington. 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%: $60,760Top 10%: $136,020

Fundraisers

$79,000

Median pay in Washington. 3,870 people work in this job in Washington. 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%: $51,110Top 10%: $120,060

Editors

$77,850

Median pay in Washington. 1,860 people work in this job in Washington. 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%: $50,320Top 10%: $128,630

Public Relations Managers

$159,440

Median pay in Washington. 1,610 people work in this job in Washington. 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%: $104,500Top 10%: $255,280

About Seattle University

Tuition and fees	$56,721 / year
Average net price after aid	$34,662 / year
Admission rate	77%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	76%
Undergraduate students	4,062

Communications ranks 15th of 24 bachelor's programs at Seattle University by first-year earnings. The top three are Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($102,664), Computer Science ($85,285), and Nursing ($81,021).

Other communications bachelor's programs near Seattle

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Seattle UniversitySeattle, WA · private nonprofit		$39,316	$19,500
University of WashingtonSeattle, WA · public	3 mi	$44,638	$16,433
Seattle Pacific UniversitySeattle, WA · private nonprofit	3 mi	$32,260	$25,000
University of Puget SoundTacoma, WA · private nonprofit	25 mi	$29,477	$27,000
Pacific Lutheran UniversityTacoma, WA · private nonprofit	33 mi	$33,970	$25,499

Common questions

The median graduate earns $39,316 one year after graduating and $70,740 five years after. The median across communications bachelor's programs in Washington is $37,782.

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 Washington 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 Washington, ranked11 programs by pay and debt Communications bachelor's programs in the US, ranked577 programs by pay and debt All Seattle University programs, ranked24 programs by pay and debt