Is a communications degree from University of Arkansas-Fort Smith worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 79% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 69%. Compare the cost with other Arkansas programs before deciding.

University of Arkansas-Fort Smith Communications (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do University of Arkansas-Fort Smith communications graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $23,000, which ranks 3rd lowest of 7 communications bachelor's programs in Arkansas. That works out to about $244 a month over 10 years.

Bachelor's in Communication and Media Studies
Public university
Fort Smith, AR
About 14 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Arkansas-Fort Smith communications graduates earn less than graduates of most communications programs nationally, $28,951 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Arkansas programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$28,95119th percentile of 577 programs nationally

Median federal debt$23,0003rd lowest of 7 Arkansas programs

Debt-to-earnings79%Arkansas median 71%, national 69%

How it compares

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

	University of Arkansas-Fort Smith	Arkansas	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$28,951	$33,417	$34,574
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,000	$23,521	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	79%	71%	69%
Programs compared		7	577

Debt and first-year pay at every Arkansas communications program

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

University of Arkansas-Fort SmithOther Arkansas programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $244 a month, or 10.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Fort Smith area are about 14% below the national average, so a $28,951 salary here buys what about $33,708 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

$65,000

Median pay in Arkansas. 980 people work in this job in Arkansas. 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%: $39,170Top 10%: $137,190

Fundraisers

$50,190

Median pay in Arkansas. 360 people work in this job in Arkansas. 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%: $30,800Top 10%: $74,620

Editors

$50,180

Median pay in Arkansas. 260 people work in this job in Arkansas. 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%: $28,840Top 10%: $76,950

Public Relations Managers

$104,170

Median pay in Arkansas. 340 people work in this job in Arkansas. 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%: $57,810Top 10%: $305,140

About University of Arkansas-Fort Smith

In-state tuition and fees	$7,334 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$12,182 / year
Average net price after aid	$10,574 / year
Admission rate	80%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	38%
Undergraduate students	4,091

Communications ranks 11th of 15 bachelor's programs at University of Arkansas-Fort Smith by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($69,618), Dental Hygiene and Assisting ($58,380), and Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($54,484).

Other communications bachelor's programs near Fort Smith

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of Arkansas-Fort SmithFort Smith, AR · public		$28,951	$23,000
University of ArkansasFayetteville, AR · public	49 mi	$40,095	$21,165

Common questions

The median graduate earns $28,951 one year after graduating. The median across communications bachelor's programs in Arkansas is $33,417.

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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas, ranked7 programs by pay and debt Communications bachelor's programs in the US, ranked577 programs by pay and debt All University of Arkansas-Fort Smith programs, ranked16 programs by pay and debt