How much debt do St. John's University communications graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,350, which ranks 40th lowest of 45 communications bachelor's programs in New York. That works out to about $279 a month over 10 years.

Is a communications degree from St. John's University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 97% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 69%. Compare the cost with other New York programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do St. John's University communications graduates stay in New York?

Most do. 65% (90 of 139) were working in New York one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Communication and Media Studies
Private nonprofit university
Queens, NY
About 91 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

St. John's University communications graduates earn less than graduates of most communications programs nationally, $27,234 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,350 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several New York programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$27,23412th percentile of 577 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$61,647126% more than year one

Median federal debt$26,35040th lowest of 45 New York programs

Debt-to-earnings97%New York median 72%, national 69%

How it compares

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

	St. John's University	New York	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$27,234	$31,699	$34,574
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$61,647	$54,761	$52,771
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,350	$25,000	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	97%	72%	69%
Programs compared		48	577

Five years out, St. John's University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $6,886 more than the New York median.

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

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

St. John's UniversityOther New York 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 126% between the first and fifth year.

St. John's University grads, year 1$27,234

St. John's University grads, year 5$61,647

All New York communications grads, year 5$54,761

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 $6,437 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$22,375Median debt $25,750

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$28,812Median debt $26,700

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $279 a month, or 12.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (133 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	30–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10–19%
In default	10% 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, 94 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $71,604.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

65% of graduates (90 of 139) were working in New York one year after graduating. Prices in the New York area are about 13% above the national average, so a $27,234 salary here buys what about $24,194 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

$81,250

Median pay in New York. 28,250 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $51,730Top 10%: $157,610

Fundraisers

$80,540

Median pay in New York. 11,600 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $53,670Top 10%: $132,510

Editors

$101,480

Median pay in New York. 16,800 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $57,910Top 10%: $179,370

Public Relations Managers

$180,880

Median pay in New York. 7,710 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $108,180Top 10%: $323,190

About St. John's University

Tuition and fees	$53,020 / year
Average net price after aid	$29,999 / year
Admission rate	83%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	66%
Undergraduate students	9,477

Communications ranks 22nd of 27 bachelor's programs at St. John's University by first-year earnings. The top three are Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($100,883), Management Science ($82,432), and Insurance ($70,752).

Other communications bachelor's programs near Queens

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
St. John's UniversityQueens, NY · private nonprofit		$27,234	$26,350
Queens CollegeQueens, NY · public	2 mi	$31,918	$9,875
Adelphi UniversityGarden City, NY · private nonprofit	7 mi	$16,178	$24,949
Marymount Manhattan CollegeNew York, NY · private nonprofit	9 mi	$24,962	$25,500
Molloy UniversityRockville Centre, NY · private nonprofit	9 mi	$31,517	$26,000
Hunter CollegeNew York, NY · public	9 mi	$29,054	$11,000
Baruch CollegeNew York, NY · public	10 mi	$36,367	$7,892
CUNY Graduate CenterNew York, NY · public	10 mi	$57,782	$14,125
Brooklyn CollegeBrooklyn, NY · public	10 mi	$27,262	$11,750

Common questions

The median graduate earns $27,234 one year after graduating and $61,647 five years after. The median across communications bachelor's programs in New York is $31,699.

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 York 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 York, ranked48 programs by pay and debt Communications bachelor's programs in the US, ranked577 programs by pay and debt All St. John's University programs, ranked27 programs by pay and debt