How much debt do St Catherine University communications graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $30,750, which ranks 17th lowest of 18 communications bachelor's programs in Minnesota. That works out to about $326 a month over 10 years.

Is a communications degree from St Catherine University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 69% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 69%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Minnesota programs report higher pay.

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

Q: Do St Catherine University communications graduates stay in Minnesota?

Most do. 87% (27 of 31) were working in Minnesota one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Communication and Media Studies
Private nonprofit university
Saint Paul, MN
About 11 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

St Catherine University communications graduates earn more than graduates of most communications programs nationally, $44,606 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $30,750 in federal loans, more than at 96% of communications programs in the country. Several Minnesota programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$44,60693rd percentile of 577 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$55,75325% more than year one

Median federal debt$30,75017th lowest of 18 Minnesota programs

Debt-to-earnings69%Minnesota median 63%, national 69%

How it compares

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

	St Catherine University	Minnesota	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$44,606	$40,423	$34,574
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$55,753	$56,649	$52,771
Median federal debt at graduation	$30,750	$26,000	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	69%	63%	69%
Programs compared		19	577

Five years out, St Catherine University graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the Minnesota median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Minnesota communications program

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

St Catherine UniversityOther Minnesota 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 25% between the first and fifth year.

St Catherine University grads, year 1$44,606

St Catherine University grads, year 5$55,753

All Minnesota communications grads, year 5$56,649

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 $326 a month, or 8.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (34 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%

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

87% of graduates (27 of 31) were working in Minnesota one year after graduating. Prices in the Minneapolis area are about 5% above the national average, so a $44,606 salary here buys what about $42,554 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

$68,620

Median pay in Minnesota. 8,260 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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%: $42,220Top 10%: $111,180

Fundraisers

$76,910

Median pay in Minnesota. 3,190 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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%: $51,130Top 10%: $108,980

Editors

$62,650

Median pay in Minnesota. 1,970 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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%: $43,370Top 10%: $102,270

Public Relations Managers

$139,040

Median pay in Minnesota. 1,230 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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%: $86,110Top 10%: $208,970

About St Catherine University

Tuition and fees	$51,454 / year
Average net price after aid	$19,764 / year
Admission rate	92%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	61%
Undergraduate students	2,473

Communications ranks 5th of 12 bachelor's programs at St Catherine University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($76,084), Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($72,272), and Economics ($64,916).

Other communications bachelor's programs near Saint Paul

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
St Catherine UniversitySaint Paul, MN · private nonprofit		$44,606	$30,750
University of St Thomas (Minnesota)Saint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	1 mi	$45,100	$27,000
Hamline UniversitySaint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	3 mi	$42,201	$27,000
Augsburg UniversityMinneapolis, MN · private nonprofit	4 mi	$36,604	$27,000
Metropolitan State UniversitySaint Paul, MN · public	6 mi	$46,320	$34,933
University of Northwestern-St PaulSaint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	8 mi	$40,330	$20,304
Bethel University (Minnesota)Saint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	9 mi	$40,019	$25,937
UW-River FallsRiver Falls, WI · public	28 mi	$38,309	$24,212
Gustavus Adolphus CollegeSaint Peter, MN · private nonprofit	57 mi	$50,074	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $44,606 one year after graduating and $55,753 five years after. The median across communications bachelor's programs in Minnesota is $40,423.

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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota, ranked19 programs by pay and debt Communications bachelor's programs in the US, ranked577 programs by pay and debt All St Catherine University programs, ranked14 programs by pay and debt