Communication and Media Studies at Lindsey Wilson College

Lindsey Wilson's communications program shows concerning outcomes even accounting for the small sample size. Graduates earn just $25,549 in their first year—roughly $9,000 below Kentucky's median for communications programs and in the bottom 5% nationally. While the program carries slightly above-average debt ($26,769), the real issue is that earnings barely exceed that debt burden. Among the 22 Kentucky schools offering this degree, Eastern Kentucky and UK graduates earn 50-60% more right out of the gate.

The 13% earnings growth to year four is positive, but it only brings graduates to $28,935—still $6,000 below what peers at other Kentucky programs earn initially. Half of students here receive Pell grants, suggesting many families have limited financial cushion to absorb outcomes like these. When a degree leaves graduates earning less than many positions that don't require college credentials, the value proposition breaks down regardless of career passion.

If your student is set on communications, the in-state alternatives offer substantially better returns without requiring you to leave Kentucky. The small sample means these numbers could shift with new cohorts, but the gap is too wide to dismiss as statistical noise.