How much debt do University of Denver communications graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $24,500, which ranks 5th lowest of 10 communications bachelor's programs in Colorado. That works out to about $260 a month over 10 years.

Is a communications degree from University of Denver worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 68% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 69%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Colorado programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

Q: Do University of Denver communications graduates stay in Colorado?

Most do. 70% (42 of 60) were working in Colorado one year after graduating.

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

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Denver communications graduates earn about what communications graduates earn nationally, $36,234 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $24,500 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Colorado programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$36,23459th percentile of 577 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$63,58375% more than year one

Median federal debt$24,5005th lowest of 10 Colorado programs

Debt-to-earnings68%Colorado median 68%, national 69%

How it compares

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

	University of Denver	Colorado	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$36,234	$37,066	$34,574
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$63,583	$54,306	$52,771
Median federal debt at graduation	$24,500	$24,500	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	68%	68%	69%
Programs compared		10	577

Five years out, University of Denver graduates earn more than the national figure and about $9,277 more than the Colorado median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Colorado communications program

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

University of DenverOther Colorado 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 75% between the first and fifth year.

University of Denver grads, year 1$36,234

University of Denver grads, year 5$63,583

All Colorado communications grads, year 5$54,306

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 $260 a month, or 8.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (62 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	40–59%
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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

70% of graduates (42 of 60) were working in Colorado one year after graduating. Prices in the Denver area are about 6% above the national average, so a $36,234 salary here buys what about $34,253 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

$80,680

Median pay in Colorado. 7,410 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $51,710Top 10%: $139,040

Fundraisers

$74,440

Median pay in Colorado. 2,470 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $50,320Top 10%: $113,720

Editors

$77,870

Median pay in Colorado. 1,830 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $44,570Top 10%: $115,940

Public Relations Managers

$162,870

Median pay in Colorado. 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%: $98,180Top 10%: $238,240

About University of Denver

Tuition and fees	$61,398 / year
Average net price after aid	$36,131 / year
Admission rate	78%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	76%
Undergraduate students	6,025

Communications ranks 18th of 24 bachelor's programs at University of Denver by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($72,250), Accounting ($67,392), and Management Science ($65,557).

Other communications bachelor's programs near Denver

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of DenverDenver, CO · private nonprofit		$36,234	$24,500
CSU GlobalDenver, CO · public	5 mi	$49,436	$32,010
Colorado Christian UniversityLakewood, CO · private nonprofit	7 mi	$37,129	$26,000
CU DenverDenver, CO · public	8 mi	$39,662	$27,000
CU BoulderBoulder, CO · public	28 mi	$39,738	$17,500
University of Northern ColoradoGreeley, CO · public	53 mi	$34,892	$24,939
UCCSColorado Springs, CO · public	55 mi	$37,002	$19,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $36,234 one year after graduating and $63,583 five years after. The median across communications bachelor's programs in Colorado is $37,066.

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 Colorado 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 Colorado, ranked10 programs by pay and debt Communications bachelor's programs in the US, ranked577 programs by pay and debt All University of Denver programs, ranked24 programs by pay and debt