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2026 Highest Paid Journalism Grads in the Southeast Region

[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 3 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the highest-paying journalism schools.

What’s on this page:

• Highest Paid Journalism Grads in the Southeast Region

2026 Highest Paid Journalism Grads in the Southeast Region

Below are the schools whose journalism graduates go on to earn the most.

Highest Paid Journalism Graduates

1

University Of Georgia
Athens, GA

$83,293 Average Early-Career Salary

University Of Georgia earned the #1 spot for highest-paid journalism graduates in the Southeast Region. Located in the city of Athens, University Of Georgia is a public institution. Students who complete the journalism program here go on to a median salary of roughly $83,293.

2

University Of South Florida Main Campus
Tampa, FL

$51,410 Average Early-Career Salary

University Of South Florida Main Campus produces some of the highest-paid graduates in journalism, landing the #2 spot this year. Located in the city of Tampa, University Of South Florida Main Campus is a public institution. Early-career journalism graduates from University Of South Florida Main Campus make a median of around $51,410 per year.

3

Full Sail University
Winter Park, FL

$52,002 Average Early-Career Salary

A rank of #3 makes Full Sail University one of the highest-paying schools for journalism. Set in the suburb of Winter Park, Full Sail University is a private for-profit institution. Students who complete the journalism program here go on to a median salary of roughly $52,002.

View All Journalism Rankings >

Notes and References

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 · 3 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.

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Graduate earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard) field-of-study earnings.

More about our data sources and methodologies.