How much debt do Wake Forest University communications graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $22,250, which ranks 5th lowest of 20 communications bachelor's programs in North Carolina. That works out to about $236 a month over 10 years.

Is a communications degree from Wake Forest University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 53% 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.

Wake Forest University Communications (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Communication and Media Studies
Private nonprofit university
Winston-Salem, NC
About 124 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Wake Forest University communications graduates earn more than graduates of most communications programs nationally, $42,055 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $22,250 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. It is one of the higher-paying communications degrees in North Carolina.

First-year earnings$42,05587th percentile of 577 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$72,75673% more than year one

Median federal debt$22,2505th lowest of 20 North Carolina programs

Debt-to-earnings53%North Carolina median 76%, national 69%

How it compares

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

	Wake Forest University	North Carolina	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$42,055	$33,740	$34,574
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$72,756	$47,049	$52,771
Median federal debt at graduation	$22,250	$25,000	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	53%	76%	69%
Programs compared		20	577

Five years out, Wake Forest University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $25,707 more than the North Carolina median.

Debt and first-year pay at every North Carolina communications program

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

Wake Forest UniversityOther North Carolina 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 73% between the first and fifth year.

Wake Forest University grads, year 1$42,055

Wake Forest University grads, year 5$72,756

All North Carolina communications grads, year 5$47,049

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 $236 a month, or 6.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (70 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
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

Prices in the Winston-Salem area are about 8% below the national average, so a $42,055 salary here buys what about $45,691 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

$67,230

Median pay in North Carolina. 9,910 people work in this job in North Carolina. 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%: $136,450

Fundraisers

$66,100

Median pay in North Carolina. 3,700 people work in this job in North Carolina. 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%: $45,280Top 10%: $104,600

Editors

$73,740

Median pay in North Carolina. 1,870 people work in this job in North Carolina. 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%: $44,050Top 10%: $103,990

Public Relations Managers

$132,280

Median pay in North Carolina. 1,510 people work in this job in North Carolina. 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%: $79,320Top 10%: $229,270

About Wake Forest University

Tuition and fees	$67,642 / year
Average net price after aid	$28,719 / year
Admission rate	22%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	89%
Undergraduate students	5,485

Communications ranks 7th of 11 bachelor's programs at Wake Forest University by first-year earnings. The top three are Finance ($85,944), Business ($76,722), and Computer Science ($75,625).

Other communications bachelor's programs near Winston-Salem

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Wake Forest UniversityWinston-Salem, NC · private nonprofit		$42,055	$22,250
Winston-Salem StateWinston-Salem, NC · public	4 mi	$24,899	$27,096
UNC GreensboroGreensboro, NC · public	27 mi	$30,559	$25,000
NC A&TGreensboro, NC · public	28 mi	$28,985	$27,643
Catawba CollegeSalisbury, NC · private nonprofit	33 mi	$32,323	$26,000
Elon UniversityElon, NC · private nonprofit	43 mi	$48,637	$23,250

Common questions

The median graduate earns $42,055 one year after graduating and $72,756 five years after. The median across communications bachelor's programs in North Carolina is $33,740.

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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina, ranked20 programs by pay and debt Communications bachelor's programs in the US, ranked577 programs by pay and debt All Wake Forest University programs, ranked11 programs by pay and debt