by our College Data Analytics Team
[Journalism](/majors/communication-journalism-media/journalism/) programs reward a close look at where graduates go on to earn the most. The schools below stand out for the salaries their journalism graduates go on to command.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 100 schools on the early-career earnings of their journalism graduates.
What’s on this page:
The journalism program you select can have a big impact on your future earnings. That is why we built our Highest Paid Journalism Graduates ranking. It looks at the median early-career salaries graduates earn, so you can find the schools whose journalism degrees pay off the most.
We offer a number of rankings, including this Highest Paid Journalism Graduates list, to help you decide. Want schools in a particular part of the country? Narrow the list by region or state.
Want to compare schools head to head? Try our College Combat tool to weigh the factors that matter most to you.
Learn more about our methodology
If you want to know which schools send journalism graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
Washington And Lee University earned the #1 spot for highest-paid journalism graduates in the United States. Set in the town of Lexington, Washington And Lee University is a private not-for-profit institution. Journalism graduates of Washington And Lee University earn a median of about $79,742 a year early in their careers.
A rank of #2 makes San Jose State University one of the highest-paying schools for journalism. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State University is a public institution. Early-career journalism graduates from San Jose State University make a median of around $69,181 per year.
Students chasing top earnings in journalism will find them at Stony Brook University, which ranked #3. Located in the suburb of Stony Brook, Stony Brook University is a public institution. After graduating, journalism degree recipients from Stony Brook University typically earn about $67,142 annually.
Students chasing top earnings in journalism will find them at Texas Christian University, which ranked #4. Texas Christian University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Fort Worth. Early-career journalism graduates from Texas Christian University make a median of around $65,831 per year.
Strong graduate earnings at George Washington University earned it the #5 place for journalism. Located in the city of Washington, George Washington University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the journalism program here go on to a median salary of roughly $81,856.
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University Of Denver ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying journalism schools. University Of Denver is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Denver. Early-career journalism graduates from University Of Denver make a median of around $59,844 per year.
California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo earned the #7 position for journalism graduate earnings this year. Set in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo is a public institution. Journalism graduates of California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo earn a median of about $67,804 a year early in their careers.
Northeastern University placed #8 among the highest-paying schools for journalism. Set in the city of Boston, Northeastern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Journalism graduates of Northeastern University earn a median of about $62,784 a year early in their careers.
University Of Maryland College Park placed #9 among the highest-paying schools for journalism. Set in the suburb of College Park, University Of Maryland College Park is a public institution. Early-career journalism graduates from University Of Maryland College Park make a median of around $69,750 per year.
University Of Wyoming landed the #10 spot for journalism salaries this year. Set in the town of Laramie, University Of Wyoming is a public institution. Early-career journalism graduates from University Of Wyoming make a median of around $55,091 per year.
Chapman University came in at #11 for journalism graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Orange, Chapman University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career journalism graduates from Chapman University make a median of around $69,171 per year.
Boston University placed #12 among the highest-paying schools for journalism. Set in the city of Boston, Boston University is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, journalism degree recipients from Boston University typically earn about $73,498 annually.
University Of Minnesota Twin Cities placed #13 among the highest-paying schools for journalism. Set in the city of Minneapolis, University Of Minnesota Twin Cities is a public institution. Early-career journalism graduates from University Of Minnesota Twin Cities make a median of around $67,369 per year.
Duquesne University placed #14 among the highest-paying schools for journalism. Set in the city of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University is a private not-for-profit institution. Journalism graduates of Duquesne University earn a median of about $52,409 a year early in their careers.
University Of Wisconsin Madison placed #15 among the highest-paying schools for journalism. University Of Wisconsin Madison is a public school located in the city of Madison. After graduating, journalism degree recipients from University Of Wisconsin Madison typically earn about $68,253 annually.
Southern Methodist University landed the #16 spot for journalism salaries this year. Southern Methodist University is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Dallas. Students who complete the journalism program here go on to a median salary of roughly $67,878.
University Of Missouri Columbia came in at #17 for journalism graduate earnings this year. University Of Missouri Columbia is a public school located in the city of Columbia. Journalism graduates of University Of Missouri Columbia earn a median of about $67,964 a year early in their careers.
Quinnipiac University placed #18 among the highest-paying schools for journalism. Located in the suburb of Hamden, Quinnipiac University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the journalism program here go on to a median salary of roughly $67,047.
University Of Kansas earned the #19 position for journalism graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Lawrence, University Of Kansas is a public institution. Students who complete the journalism program here go on to a median salary of roughly $62,205.
University Of Colorado Boulder placed #20 among the highest-paying schools for journalism. Located in the city of Boulder, University Of Colorado Boulder is a public institution. Journalism graduates of University Of Colorado Boulder earn a median of about $75,662 a year early in their careers.
Indiana University Bloomington placed #21 among the highest-paying schools for journalism. Set in the city of Bloomington, Indiana University Bloomington is a public institution. After graduating, journalism degree recipients from Indiana University Bloomington typically earn about $65,840 annually.
Brigham Young University Provo landed the #22 spot for journalism salaries this year. Set in the city of Provo, Brigham Young University Provo is a private not-for-profit institution. Journalism graduates of Brigham Young University Provo earn a median of about $54,592 a year early in their careers.
Suny College At Oswego ranked #23 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying journalism schools. Located in the town of Oswego, Suny College At Oswego is a public institution. Students who complete the journalism program here go on to a median salary of roughly $49,823.
Marquette University landed the #24 spot for journalism salaries this year. Located in the city of Milwaukee, Marquette University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career journalism graduates from Marquette University make a median of around $65,829 per year.
University Of Washington Seattle Campus ranked #25 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying journalism schools. University Of Washington Seattle Campus is a public school located in the city of Seattle. Early-career journalism graduates from University Of Washington Seattle Campus make a median of around $73,747 per year.
Not far behind, these schools also produced high-earning journalism graduates:
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The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries journalism graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 100 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.