Santa Clara University (SCU) Communications: Salary, Debt & Careers

Earnings, 4 years after graduating

$84,206

U.S. median for this major: $54,283.

College Scorecard field of study

Earnings, 1 year after

$51,720

Median for graduates who received federal aid.

College Scorecard field of study

Median debt at graduation

$18,500

About 22% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $25,000.

College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)

What your family pays

$50,062 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $82,026. College Scorecard.

Communications at California colleges

Every California 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	Santa Clara University	$84,206	$18,500	$50,062	88%
2	University of Southern California	$75,864	$17,702	$32,740	92%
3	University of California-Berkeley	$75,612	$11,180	$13,481	93%
4	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	$75,223	$14,928	$16,665	86%
5	Chapman University	$73,461	$19,500	$46,555	82%
6	University of California-Santa Barbara	$72,976	$13,018	$16,109	83%
7	University of California-Davis	$72,778	$13,000	$14,741	86%
8	Loyola Marymount University	$69,144	$19,500	$48,381	79%
9	University of San Diego	$68,913	$25,000	$30,365	84%
10	Sonoma State University	$68,833	$17,129	$12,885	58%
11	University of San Francisco	$68,592	$23,250	$41,431	70%
12	Woodbury University	$68,020	—	$33,692	60%
13	University of California-San Diego	$67,302	$14,568	$12,470	86%
14	University of La Verne	$66,891	$22,500	$20,161	63%
15	Saint Mary's College of California	$64,456	$23,250	$30,378	70%
16	San Francisco State University	$63,731	$15,000	$12,278	50%
17	Westmont College	$62,535	$23,250	$29,053	70%
18	California Lutheran University	$61,653	$21,897	$30,109	70%
19	San Diego State University	$61,389	$15,675	$15,364	76%
20	California Baptist University	$60,883	$25,126	$26,285	62%
21	University of the Pacific	$60,666	$20,485	$25,447	69%
22	California State University-San Marcos	$59,842	$16,500	$10,229	55%
23	California State University-Sacramento	$59,404	$15,000	$9,338	56%
24	California State University-Channel Islands	$59,332	$13,750	$9,849	51%
25	California State University-Chico	$58,391	$17,098	$14,480	63%
26	California State University-Long Beach	$58,137	$13,953	$10,440	69%
27	California State University-Fullerton	$58,082	$13,000	$6,555	70%
28	California State University-East Bay	$57,708	$18,250	$9,320	48%
29	The Master's University and Seminary	$57,507	$22,250	$32,647	68%
30	California State University-Dominguez Hills	$57,478	$17,043	$8,615	43%
31	California State University-Northridge	$57,138	$13,999	$7,021	57%
32	Concordia University-Irvine	$56,388	$25,000	$28,115	58%
33	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona	$56,278	$14,267	$11,531	68%
34	California State University-Stanislaus	$54,007	$17,125	$6,067	53%
35	Biola University	$53,781	$21,937	$31,495	68%
36	California State University-Fresno	$51,788	$15,000	$7,000	57%
37	California State University-Bakersfield	$50,989	—	$5,652	50%
38	California State University-San Bernardino	$49,171	$15,750	$4,564	55%
39	Point Loma Nazarene University	$47,092	$21,500	$38,729	77%

20 more California colleges offer Communications but have too few graduates to report earnings.

Careers for Communications graduates

Public relations specialist

San Jose area$117,620

California$85,030

U.S.$74,750

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +1.8% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

Fundraisers

San Jose area$106,760

California$79,710

U.S.$72,550

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +5.5% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

Editors

San Jose area$117,580

California$98,030

U.S.$77,920

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 SCU, by income

School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.

College Scorecard

About SCU

Acceptance rate: 48% · admissions
Graduation rate: 88% within 6 years
Median earnings, all majors, 10 years after starting: $109,183
Full cost breakdown · all 45 majors · overview

SCU Communications questions

How much do SCU Communications graduates earn?

Communications graduates of Santa Clara University earn a median $84,206 four years after graduating and $51,720 one year after. The U.S. median for Communications graduates across 639 colleges is $54,283.

How much debt do SCU Communications graduates have?

The median federal loan debt for Communications graduates of Santa Clara University is $18,500, about 22% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $25,000.

Where does SCU rank for Communications in California?

Of 39 California colleges reporting Communications graduate earnings, Santa Clara University ranks 1st, the highest.

What jobs do Communications graduates get?

A common career is public relations specialist, with a median wage of $117,620 in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 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: “Santa Clara University Communications: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/santa-clara-university/majors/communications (College Scorecard and BLS data).

Santa Clara University Communications: earnings, debt & careers