How much debt do UT Austin communications graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $20,500, which ranks 7th lowest of 32 communications bachelor's programs in Texas. That works out to about $217 a month over 10 years.

Is a communications degree from UT Austin worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 47% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 69%.

UT Austin Communications (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do UT Austin communications graduates stay in Texas?

Most do. 88% (168 of 191) were working in Texas one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Communication and Media Studies
Public university
Austin, TX
About 203 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UT Austin communications graduates earn more than graduates of most communications programs nationally, $43,848 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $20,500 in federal loans, less than at 81% of communications programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying communications degrees in Texas.

First-year earnings$43,84892nd percentile of 577 programs nationally

Median federal debt$20,5007th lowest of 32 Texas programs

Debt-to-earnings47%Texas median 67%, national 69%

How it compares

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

	UT Austin	Texas	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$43,848	$32,990	$34,574
Median federal debt at graduation	$20,500	$23,430	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	47%	67%	69%
Programs compared		33	577

Debt and first-year pay at every Texas communications program

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

UT AustinOther Texas programs

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

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $4,130 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$42,952Median debt $21,500

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$47,082Median debt $19,708

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $217 a month, or 5.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

91 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $37,172.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

88% of graduates (168 of 191) were working in Texas one year after graduating. Prices in the Austin area are about 2% below the national average, so a $43,848 salary here buys what about $44,713 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

$65,160

Median pay in Texas. 25,220 people work in this job in Texas. 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%: $39,840Top 10%: $109,640

Fundraisers

$60,320

Median pay in Texas. 4,020 people work in this job in Texas. 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%: $39,730Top 10%: $95,770

Editors

$45,950

Median pay in Texas. 6,460 people work in this job in Texas. 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%: $29,040Top 10%: $105,440

Public Relations Managers

$126,670

Median pay in Texas. 8,190 people work in this job in Texas. 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%: $78,400Top 10%: $220,000

About UT Austin

In-state tuition and fees	$11,688 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$44,908 / year
Average net price after aid	$19,857 / year
Admission rate	27%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	89%
Undergraduate students	42,855

Communications ranks 25th of 61 bachelor's programs at UT Austin by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer and Information Science ($111,587), Electrical Engineering ($96,997), and Business ($94,041).

Other communications bachelor's programs near Austin

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UT AustinAustin, TX · public		$43,848	$20,500
Saint Edward's UniversityAustin, TX · private nonprofit	4 mi	$31,117	$25,000
Concordia University TexasAustin, TX · private nonprofit	11 mi	$39,068	$24,134
Southwestern UniversityGeorgetown, TX · private nonprofit	25 mi	$34,050	$26,000
Texas StateSan Marcos, TX · public	30 mi	$37,386	$24,250
University of Mary Hardin-BaylorBelton, TX · private nonprofit	57 mi	$34,282	$23,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $43,848 one year after graduating. The median across communications bachelor's programs in Texas is $32,990.

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 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 Texas, ranked33 programs by pay and debt Communications bachelor's programs in the US, ranked577 programs by pay and debt All UT Austin programs, ranked61 programs by pay and debt