by our College Data Analytics Team
[Communication Media Studies](/majors/communication-journalism-media/communication-media-studies/) programs reward a close look at where graduates go on to earn the most. The highest-paying schools turn a communication media studies degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 10 schools on the early-career earnings of their communication media studies graduates.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools whose communication media studies graduates go on to earn the most.
For graduate earnings in communication media studies, no school beat University Of Portland this year. University Of Portland is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Portland. Communication Media Studies graduates of University Of Portland earn a median of about $50,011 a year early in their careers.
A rank of #2 makes Western Oregon University one of the highest-paying schools for communication media studies. Set in the town of Monmouth, Western Oregon University is a public institution. Communication Media Studies graduates of Western Oregon University earn a median of about $62,300 a year early in their careers.
A rank of #3 makes Oregon State University one of the highest-paying schools for communication media studies. Set in the city of Corvallis, Oregon State University is a public institution. Early-career communication media studies graduates from Oregon State University make a median of around $56,798 per year.
Students chasing top earnings in communication media studies will find them at Linfield College, which ranked #4. Set in the town of McMinnville, Linfield College is a private not-for-profit institution. Communication Media Studies graduates of Linfield College earn a median of about $68,822 a year early in their careers.
Portland State University produces some of the highest-paid graduates in communication media studies, landing the #5 spot this year. Portland State University is a public school located in the city of Portland. Early-career communication media studies graduates from Portland State University make a median of around $55,465 per year.
Eastern Oregon University came in at #6 for communication media studies graduate earnings this year. Eastern Oregon University is a public school located in the town of La Grande. Early-career communication media studies graduates from Eastern Oregon University make a median of around $37,143 per year.
Lewis And Clark College earned the #7 position for communication media studies graduate earnings this year. Lewis And Clark College is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Portland. Early-career communication media studies graduates from Lewis And Clark College make a median of around $64,056 per year.
Southern Oregon University earned the #8 position for communication media studies graduate earnings this year. Southern Oregon University is a public school located in the suburb of Ashland. Early-career communication media studies graduates from Southern Oregon University make a median of around $44,790 per year.
University Of Oregon ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying communication media studies schools. Located in the city of Eugene, University Of Oregon is a public institution. Students who complete the communication media studies program here go on to a median salary of roughly $33,165.
Willamette University came in at #10 for communication media studies graduate earnings this year. Willamette University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Salem. Students who complete the communication media studies program here go on to a median salary of roughly $31,472.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their communication media studies graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 10 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.