How much debt do University at Albany journalism graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,000, which ranks 8th lowest of 15 journalism bachelor's programs in New York. That works out to about $265 a month over 10 years.

Is a journalism degree from University at Albany worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 88% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 67%. Compare the cost with other New York programs before deciding.

University at Albany Journalism (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do University at Albany journalism graduates stay in New York?

Most do. 92% (45 of 49) were working in New York one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Journalism
Public university
Albany, NY
About 23 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University at Albany journalism graduates earn less than graduates of most journalism programs nationally, $28,553 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,500. Several New York programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$28,55318th percentile of 170 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$56,66498% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,0008th lowest of 15 New York programs

Debt-to-earnings88%New York median 71%, national 67%

How it compares

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

	University at Albany	New York	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$28,553	$32,456	$34,515
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$56,664	$52,063	$53,282
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,000	$25,000	$24,500
Debt as share of first-year pay	88%	71%	67%
Programs compared		17	170

Five years out, University at Albany graduates earn more than the national figure and about $4,602 more than the New York median.

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

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

University at AlbanyOther 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 98% between the first and fifth year.

University at Albany grads, year 1$28,553

University at Albany grads, year 5$56,664

All New York journalism grads, year 5$52,063

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 $2,695 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$28,214Median debt $25,750

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$30,909Median debt $22,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $265 a month, or 11.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (63 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
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. Separately, 21 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $15,000.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

92% of graduates (45 of 49) were working in New York one year after graduating. Prices in the Albany area are about the same as the national average.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to journalism, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

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

Photographers

$60,050

Median pay in New York. 3,650 people work in this job in New York. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 10,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $37,890Top 10%: $109,470

Writers and Authors

$76,910

Median pay nationwide. 7,480 people work in this job in New York. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 11,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists

$100,770

Median pay in New York. 5,750 people work in this job in New York. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $49,500Top 10%: $327,640

About University at Albany

In-state tuition and fees	$10,866 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$31,256 / year
Average net price after aid	$17,167 / year
Admission rate	69%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	61%
Undergraduate students	12,564

Journalism ranks 29th of 31 bachelor's programs at University at Albany by first-year earnings. The top three are Applied Mathematics ($65,604), Accounting ($55,124), and Other Mathematics ($51,917).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $28,553 one year after graduating and $56,664 five years after. The median across journalism bachelor's programs in New York is $32,456.

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 journalism 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

Journalism bachelor's programs in New York, ranked17 programs by pay and debt Journalism bachelor's programs in the US, ranked170 programs by pay and debt All University at Albany programs, ranked31 programs by pay and debt