University of North Alabama Communications (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Communication and Media Studies
- Public university
- Florence, AL
- About 34 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
University of North Alabama communications graduates earn less than graduates of most communications programs nationally, $30,182 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $21,000 in federal loans, less than at 79% of communications programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the Alabama median of $33,172.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Alabama and national columns are the medians across all communications bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, University of North Alabama graduates earn less than the national figure and about the same as the Alabama median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Alabama communications program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Alabama medians.
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 39% between the first and fifth year.
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 more in their first year than other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $25,000 against $18,250.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $223 a month, or 8.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
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
71% of graduates (44 of 62) were working in Alabama one year after graduating. Prices in the Florence area are about 15% below the national average, so a $30,182 salary here buys what about $35,585 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
$61,710Median pay in Alabama. 2,410 people work in this job in Alabama. 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.
Fundraisers
$60,120Median pay in Alabama. 1,120 people work in this job in Alabama. 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.
Editors
$63,330Median pay in Alabama. 530 people work in this job in Alabama. 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.
Public Relations Managers
$98,210Median pay in Alabama. 540 people work in this job in Alabama. 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.
About University of North Alabama
Communications ranks 19th of 25 bachelor's programs at University of North Alabama by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer and Information Science ($68,996), Nursing ($61,137), and Management Information Systems ($55,826).
Common questions
The median graduate earns $30,182 one year after graduating and $42,034 five years after. The median across communications bachelor's programs in Alabama is $33,172.
The median federal loan balance is $21,000, which ranks 2nd lowest of 9 communications bachelor's programs in Alabama. That works out to about $223 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 70% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 69%. Compare the cost with other Alabama programs before deciding.
Most do. 71% (44 of 62) were working in Alabama one year after graduating.
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 Alabama 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