How much debt do Westmont College communications graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $23,250, which ranks 33rd lowest of 38 communications bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $246 a month over 10 years.

Is a communications degree from Westmont College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 56% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 69%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several California programs report higher pay.

Westmont College Communications (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Westmont College communications graduates stay in California?

Most do. 77% (23 of 30) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Communication and Media Studies
Private nonprofit college
Santa Barbara, CA
About 24 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Westmont College communications graduates earn more than graduates of most communications programs nationally, $41,225 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,250 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several California programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$41,22584th percentile of 577 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$47,23615% more than year one

Median federal debt$23,25033rd lowest of 38 California programs

Debt-to-earnings56%California median 45%, national 69%

How it compares

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

	Westmont College	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$41,225	$37,249	$34,574
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$47,236	$60,920	$52,771
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,250	$17,129	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	56%	45%	69%
Programs compared		39	577

Five years out, Westmont College graduates earn less than the national figure and about $13,684 less than the California median. Several California programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every California communications program

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

Westmont CollegeOther California 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 15% between the first and fifth year.

Westmont College grads, year 1$41,225

Westmont College grads, year 5$47,236

All California communications grads, year 5$60,920

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 $246 a month, or 7.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

77% of graduates (23 of 30) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Santa Maria area are about 9% above the national average, so a $41,225 salary here buys what about $37,891 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

$85,030

Median pay in California. 32,710 people work in this job in California. 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%: $49,550Top 10%: $160,520

Fundraisers

$79,710

Median pay in California. 12,860 people work in this job in California. 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%: $50,340Top 10%: $131,720

Editors

$98,030

Median pay in California. 14,830 people work in this job in California. 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%: $52,510Top 10%: $173,590

Public Relations Managers

$167,980

Median pay in California. 9,400 people work in this job in California. 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%: $97,800Top 10%: $300,800

About Westmont College

Tuition and fees	$53,584 / year
Average net price after aid	$29,053 / year
Admission rate	77%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	70%
Undergraduate students	1,302

Communications ranks 3rd of 7 bachelor's programs at Westmont College by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer and Information Science ($83,026), Business Economics ($54,457), and Communications ($41,225).

Other communications bachelor's programs near Santa Barbara

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Westmont CollegeSanta Barbara, CA · private nonprofit		$41,225	$23,250
UC Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, CA · public	11 mi	$46,598	$13,018
Cal State Channel IslandsCamarillo, CA · public	41 mi	$40,109	$13,750
California Lutheran UniversityThousand Oaks, CA · private nonprofit	47 mi	$37,249	$21,897

Common questions

The median graduate earns $41,225 one year after graduating and $47,236 five years after. The median across communications bachelor's programs in California is $37,249.

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 California 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 California, ranked39 programs by pay and debt Communications bachelor's programs in the US, ranked577 programs by pay and debt All Westmont College programs, ranked7 programs by pay and debt