U.S. median for this major: $54,283.
College Scorecard field of study; 64 graduates with earnings reported
Median for graduates who received federal aid.
College Scorecard field of study
About 16% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $25,000.
College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $88,140. College Scorecard.
Cornell University Communications: pay against the field, and payback
Same major, other colleges
Median earnings 4 years after graduating; state and U.S. figures are the median of each covered college's graduates in this major. College Scorecard; calculated by EducationGuide.
Communications nationally: jobs, pay at ages 25-34, every state →
Cost to finish and years to pay back, by income
Uses Cornell University's school-wide net price (no college reports it by major) and this major's graduate earnings.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $1,776 | $7,282 | under 1 year |
| $30–48k | $4,070 | $16,687 | under 1 year |
| $48–75k | $6,796 | $27,864 | under 1 year |
| $75–110k | $14,311 | $58,675 | 1.1 years |
| $110k+ | $49,992 | $204,967 | 3.8 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (87% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of Communications graduates 4 years after graduating ($88,463) minus $34,633 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NY (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $53,830 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard; IPEDS Graduation Rates; U.S. Census Bureau ACS. Calculated by EducationGuide.
Communications at New York colleges
Every New York college we cover that reports Communications graduate earnings, highest first. Net price is the school-wide average after grants.
| Rank | College | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt | Avg. net price | Graduation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cornell University | $88,463 | $14,418 | $28,690 | 95% |
| 2 | Fordham University | $77,244 | $25,700 | $44,338 | 82% |
| 3 | Marist University | $74,726 | $26,000 | $41,544 | 80% |
| 4 | Manhattan University | $74,471 | $26,000 | $27,256 | 64% |
| 5 | Hobart William Smith Colleges | $73,650 | $27,000 | $31,563 | 77% |
| 6 | St Lawrence University | $72,839 | $25,000 | $28,651 | 79% |
| 7 | CUNY Graduate School and University Center | $72,564 | $14,125 | — | — |
| 8 | Syracuse University | $70,106 | $27,000 | $38,793 | 84% |
| 9 | CUNY City College | $69,948 | $15,827 | $3,776 | 57% |
| 10 | Pace University | $69,876 | $26,000 | $30,892 | 60% |
| 11 | SUNY College at Geneseo | $63,577 | $21,000 | $18,211 | 71% |
| 12 | State University of New York at Cortland | $63,431 | $23,874 | $22,345 | 68% |
| 13 | University at Buffalo | $62,912 | $22,251 | $20,995 | 75% |
| 14 | Marymount Manhattan College | $62,844 | $25,500 | $36,861 | 49% |
| 15 | SUNY Brockport | $62,532 | $23,200 | $16,353 | 55% |
| 16 | Hofstra University | $62,361 | $25,000 | $34,176 | 69% |
| 17 | College of Staten Island CUNY | $61,691 | $13,500 | $5,579 | 34% |
| 18 | CUNY Queens College | $61,501 | $9,875 | $4,195 | 53% |
| 19 | State University of New York at New Paltz | $60,929 | $22,750 | $18,809 | 72% |
| 20 | St. John's University-New York | $60,634 | $26,350 | $29,999 | 66% |
| 21 | Manhattanville University | $60,523 | $25,729 | $20,991 | 58% |
| 22 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch College | $59,756 | $7,892 | $3,033 | 72% |
| 23 | University at Albany | $59,724 | $24,332 | $17,167 | 61% |
| 24 | Iona University | $58,650 | $26,954 | $29,188 | 56% |
| 25 | St. John Fisher University | $58,279 | $23,328 | $28,945 | 74% |
| 26 | Vassar College | $58,163 | $18,250 | $39,343 | 91% |
| 27 | SUNY Oneonta | $57,447 | $23,250 | $19,158 | 69% |
| 28 | St. Thomas Aquinas College | $57,112 | — | $19,994 | 54% |
| 29 | CUNY Brooklyn College | $57,024 | $11,750 | $3,103 | 54% |
| 30 | Molloy University | $55,878 | $26,000 | $24,347 | 70% |
| 31 | CUNY Hunter College | $55,182 | $11,000 | $2,984 | 57% |
| 32 | Canisius University | $54,529 | $23,766 | $17,940 | 66% |
| 33 | Nazareth University | $53,695 | $26,000 | $29,357 | 73% |
| 34 | State University of New York at Plattsburgh | $51,715 | $25,150 | $17,156 | 59% |
| 35 | SUNY Buffalo State University | $51,379 | $25,000 | $11,346 | 33% |
| 36 | University of Mount Saint Vincent | $50,940 | $25,822 | $21,696 | 57% |
| 37 | Adelphi University | $50,556 | $24,949 | $30,783 | 67% |
| 38 | CUNY Lehman College | $50,265 | $14,623 | $3,148 | 51% |
| 39 | St. Francis College | $49,805 | $26,125 | $18,129 | 55% |
| 40 | The New School | $49,489 | $23,241 | $58,741 | 69% |
| 41 | Mercy University | $49,395 | $27,000 | $14,072 | 46% |
| 42 | Dominican University New York | $47,995 | $27,000 | $41,832 | 53% |
| 43 | Le Moyne College | $47,382 | $25,000 | $22,277 | 73% |
| 44 | SUNY Old Westbury | $47,095 | $19,900 | $11,282 | 45% |
| 45 | SUNY at Purchase College | $46,596 | $24,000 | $18,913 | 63% |
| 46 | Houghton University | $45,134 | — | $20,519 | 65% |
| 47 | Utica University | $44,969 | $27,000 | $19,108 | 56% |
| 48 | SUNY College at Potsdam | $43,686 | $26,001 | $13,624 | 45% |
| 49 | Touro University | $38,066 | — | $29,627 | 72% |
| 50 | New York Institute of Technology | $32,748 | — | $22,443 | 59% |
24 more New York colleges offer Communications but have too few graduates to report earnings.
Careers for Communications graduates
Public relations specialist
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +1.8% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
Fundraisers
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +5.5% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
Editors
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs -1.1% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35. Careers from the federal major-to-occupation crosswalk.
What families pay at Cornell University, by income
School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.
College Scorecard
About Cornell University
- Acceptance rate: 9% · admissions
- Graduation rate: 95% within 6 years
- Median earnings, all majors, 10 years after starting: $104,043
- Full cost breakdown · all 79 majors · overview
Cornell University Communications questions
How much do Cornell University Communications graduates earn?
Communications graduates of Cornell University earn a median $88,463 four years after graduating and $62,182 one year after. The U.S. median for Communications graduates across 639 colleges is $54,283.
How much debt do Cornell University Communications graduates have?
The median federal loan debt for Communications graduates of Cornell University is $14,418, about 16% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $25,000.
Is Cornell University a good school for Communications in New York?
On pay, Communications graduates of Cornell University earn $88,463 four years out, $30,242 above the median for the same major across 50 New York colleges ($58,221) and $34,180 above the U.S. median ($54,283). Medians of each college's graduates; EducationGuide calculation from College Scorecard.
Where does Cornell University rank for Communications in New York?
Of 50 New York colleges reporting Communications graduate earnings, Cornell University ranks 1st, the highest.
What jobs do Communications graduates get?
A common career is public relations specialist, with a median wage of $67,260 in the Ithaca, NY area and $74,750 nationally. Others include fundraisers and editors.
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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (field of study: median earnings and federal loan debt of graduates who received federal aid); BLS. How we score
Data: JSON · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Cornell University Communications: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/cornell-university/majors/communications (College Scorecard and BLS data).