Radio, Television, and Digital Communication at Loyola University Chicago

Loyola's communication program graduates earn $26,227 in their first year—about $3,700 below the national median for this field and roughly $600 below the Illinois state average. While the program sits at the 40th percentile statewide (essentially middle-of-the-pack among Illinois schools), it notably underperforms the national benchmark, landing in just the 24th percentile. For a tuition level associated with a private Jesuit university, these outcomes trail public alternatives like Chicago State ($28,643) and Western Illinois ($27,462), both of which deliver stronger first-year earnings.

The $25,000 debt load is manageable relative to first-year income—the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.95 means graduates owe roughly what they'll earn in year one. However, this metric only looks acceptable because the earnings themselves are low. At just over $2,000 per month before taxes, new graduates face challenging economics in an expensive city like Chicago, where even a modest apartment can consume half that income.

For families paying Loyola's private school premium, this represents a concerning return on investment. The program delivers middle-tier results in Illinois but struggles nationally. Unless your child has specific connections through Loyola's Chicago media market access or significant scholarship aid that reduces that $25,000 debt figure, the financial case here is weak compared to both peer institutions and the broader communication program landscape.