by our College Data Analytics Team
[Publishing](/majors/communication-journalism-media/publishing/) programs reward a close look at where graduates go on to earn the most. The highest-paying schools turn a publishing degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
College Factual analyzed 5 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the highest-paying publishing schools.
What’s on this page:
The publishing program you select can have a big impact on your future earnings. To help, we created our Highest Paid Publishing Graduates ranking. It looks at the median early-career salaries graduates earn, so you can find the schools whose publishing degrees pay off the most.
Learn more about our methodology
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we offer several rankings, including this Highest Paid Publishing Graduates list, to help you choose. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this 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.
Read more about College Factual’s methodology
If you want to know which schools send publishing graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
Our analysis ranked George Washington University the top school for publishing graduate earnings in the United States. Set in the city of Washington, George Washington University is a private not-for-profit institution. Publishing graduates of George Washington University earn a median of about $84,103 a year early in their careers.
New York University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying publishing schools. Located in the city of New York, New York University is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, publishing degree recipients from New York University typically earn about $63,087 annually.
Emerson College produces some of the highest-paid graduates in publishing, landing the #3 spot this year. Emerson College is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Boston. Publishing graduates of Emerson College earn a median of about $57,769 a year early in their careers.
Students chasing top earnings in publishing will find them at Pace University New York, which ranked #4. Set in the city of New York, Pace University New York is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, publishing degree recipients from Pace University New York typically earn about $59,322 annually.
Portland State University produces some of the highest-paid graduates in publishing, landing the #5 spot this year. Portland State University is a public school located in the city of Portland. Publishing graduates of Portland State University earn a median of about $23,449 a year early in their careers.
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The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries publishing 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 · 5 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.