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 highest-paying schools turn a journalism degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
For its 2026 highest-paid-graduates ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools to find where journalism graduates earn the most.
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 Michigan State University this year. Set in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State University is a public institution. Journalism graduates of Michigan State University earn a median of about $58,101 a year early in their careers.
A rank of #2 makes Oakland University one of the highest-paying schools for journalism. Oakland University is a public school located in the suburb of Rochester Hills. Early-career journalism graduates from Oakland University make a median of around $49,213 per year.
Eastern Michigan University produces some of the highest-paid graduates in journalism, landing the #3 spot this year. Eastern Michigan University is a public school located in the suburb of Ypsilanti. After graduating, journalism degree recipients from Eastern Michigan University typically earn about $48,222 annually.
Strong graduate earnings at Wayne State University earned it the #4 place for journalism. Located in the city of Detroit, Wayne State University is a public institution. Students who complete the journalism program here go on to a median salary of roughly $51,442.
Central Michigan University produces some of the highest-paid graduates in journalism, landing the #5 spot this year. Set in the town of Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan University is a public institution. After graduating, journalism degree recipients from Central Michigan University typically earn about $38,638 annually.
This ranking is produced 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 · 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.