by our College Data Analytics Team
[Journalism](/majors/communication-journalism-media/journalism/) graduates earn very different salaries depending on where they study. A top-earning program sends graduates into careers with strong starting pay.
College Factual analyzed 4 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the highest-paying journalism schools.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools send journalism graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
For graduate earnings in journalism, no school beat University Of Washington Seattle Campus this year. Located in the city of Seattle, University Of Washington Seattle Campus is a public institution. Journalism graduates of University Of Washington Seattle Campus earn a median of about $73,747 a year early in their careers.
Students chasing top earnings in journalism will find them at Gonzaga University, which ranked #2. Located in the city of Spokane, Gonzaga University is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, journalism degree recipients from Gonzaga University typically earn about $50,880 annually.
A rank of #3 makes Western Washington University one of the highest-paying schools for journalism. Set in the city of Bellingham, Western Washington University is a public institution. Journalism graduates of Western Washington University earn a median of about $52,942 a year early in their careers.
Strong graduate earnings at Washington State University earned it the #4 place for journalism. Set in the town of Pullman, Washington State University is a public institution. Early-career journalism graduates from Washington State University make a median of around $36,273 per year.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their journalism graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 4 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.