UT Arlington Radio, TV, and Digital Media (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

  • Bachelor's in Radio, Television, and Digital Communication
  • Public university
  • Arlington, TX

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UT Arlington radio, TV, and digital media graduates earn more than graduates of most radio, TV, and digital media programs nationally, $43,038 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $21,302 in federal loans, less than at 78% of radio, TV, and digital media programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying radio, TV, and digital media degrees in Texas.

First-year earnings$43,03894th percentile of 127 programs nationally
Earnings after 5 years$55,80130% more than year one
Median federal debt$21,3024th lowest of 14 Texas programs
Debt-to-earnings49%Texas median 69%, national 78%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Texas and national columns are the medians across all radio, TV, and digital media bachelor's programs that report the figure.

Five years out, UT Arlington graduates earn more than the national figure and about $7,412 more than the Texas median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Texas radio, TV, and digital media program

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

UT ArlingtonOther Texas 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 30% between the first and fifth year.

UT Arlington grads, year 1$43,038
UT Arlington grads, year 5$55,801
All Texas radio, TV, and digital media grads, year 5$48,390

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 $226 a month, or 6.3% 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

89% of graduates (41 of 46) were working in Texas one year after graduating. Prices in the Dallas area are about 3% above the national average, so a $43,038 salary here buys what about $41,748 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 radio, TV, and digital media, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Producers and Directors

$71,710

Median pay in Texas. 6,610 people work in this job in Texas. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 12,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $40,610Top 10%: $146,340

Web and Digital Interface Designers

$102,650

Median pay in Texas. 5,910 people work in this job in Texas. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 8,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $59,290Top 10%: $168,620

News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists

$48,470

Median pay in Texas. 2,670 people work in this job in Texas. 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%: $28,990Top 10%: $95,830

Film and Video Editors

$61,220

Median pay in Texas. 1,040 people work in this job in Texas. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $36,030Top 10%: $116,280

About UT Arlington

Radio, TV, and Digital Media ranks 23rd of 48 bachelor's programs at UT Arlington by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($85,513), Computer Science ($84,759), and Computer Engineering ($81,226).

Other radio, TV, and digital media bachelor's programs near Arlington

Common questions

The median graduate earns $43,038 one year after graduating and $55,801 five years after. The median across radio, TV, and digital media bachelor's programs in Texas is $31,762.

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 Texas 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 radio, TV, and digital media program.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
  2. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
  3. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
  4. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

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