{
  "major": "Communications",
  "slug": "communications",
  "field": "Social Sciences & Humanities",
  "as_of": "2026",
  "url": "https://collegeranked.com/best-communications-schools/",
  "source": "U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2026 release); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics",
  "metric_definitions": {
    "median_earnings": "Median earnings one year after graduation (Scorecard)",
    "net_price": "Average annual cost of attendance after grant aid. For PUBLIC schools this reflects IN-STATE cost; out-of-state students pay more.",
    "roi_10yr_usd": "Ten years of earnings minus four years of net price",
    "public": "true = public university (net_price is in-state basis); false = private (residency-neutral)"
  },
  "total_colleges_with_reported_data": 608,
  "shown": 25,
  "ranking": [
    {
      "rank": 1,
      "school": "University of Michigan-Ann Arbor",
      "state": "MI",
      "median_earnings": 50556,
      "net_price": 13138,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 453008,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 2,
      "school": "University of California-Berkeley",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 43696,
      "net_price": 13481,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 383036,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 3,
      "school": "California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 62183,
      "net_price": 16665,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 555170,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 4,
      "school": "Cornell University",
      "state": "NY",
      "median_earnings": 62182,
      "net_price": 28690,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 507060,
      "public": false
    },
    {
      "rank": 5,
      "school": "Colorado State University Global",
      "state": "CO",
      "median_earnings": 49436,
      "net_price": 16510,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 428320,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 6,
      "school": "University of Washington-Tacoma Campus",
      "state": "WA",
      "median_earnings": 44638,
      "net_price": 10163,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 405728,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 7,
      "school": "Utah Valley University",
      "state": "UT",
      "median_earnings": 44202,
      "net_price": 6376,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 416516,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 8,
      "school": "University of New Hampshire at Manchester",
      "state": "NH",
      "median_earnings": 43551,
      "net_price": 9992,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 395542,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 9,
      "school": "University of New Hampshire College of Professional Studies Online",
      "state": "NH",
      "median_earnings": 43551,
      "net_price": 10864,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 392054,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 10,
      "school": "University of California-Santa Barbara",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 46598,
      "net_price": 16109,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 401544,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 11,
      "school": "University of Washington-Bothell Campus",
      "state": "WA",
      "median_earnings": 44638,
      "net_price": 12319,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 397104,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 12,
      "school": "University of Maryland-College Park",
      "state": "MD",
      "median_earnings": 43696,
      "net_price": 15678,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 374248,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 13,
      "school": "University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill",
      "state": "NC",
      "median_earnings": 43348,
      "net_price": 11655,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 386860,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 14,
      "school": "CUNY City College",
      "state": "NY",
      "median_earnings": 42734,
      "net_price": 3776,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 412236,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 15,
      "school": "University of California-Davis",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 42569,
      "net_price": 14741,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 366726,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 16,
      "school": "University of Pennsylvania",
      "state": "PA",
      "median_earnings": 53022,
      "net_price": 28699,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 415424,
      "public": false
    },
    {
      "rank": 17,
      "school": "Northwestern University",
      "state": "IL",
      "median_earnings": 52210,
      "net_price": 29167,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 405432,
      "public": false
    },
    {
      "rank": 18,
      "school": "University of Virginia-Main Campus",
      "state": "VA",
      "median_earnings": 47368,
      "net_price": 21565,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 387420,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 19,
      "school": "University of Washington-Seattle Campus",
      "state": "WA",
      "median_earnings": 44638,
      "net_price": 14091,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 390016,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 20,
      "school": "University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus",
      "state": "CT",
      "median_earnings": 40473,
      "net_price": 10875,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 361230,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 21,
      "school": "Boston University",
      "state": "MA",
      "median_earnings": 47349,
      "net_price": 24402,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 375882,
      "public": false
    },
    {
      "rank": 22,
      "school": "San Francisco State University",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 40790,
      "net_price": 12278,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 358788,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 23,
      "school": "University of Maryland Global Campus",
      "state": "MD",
      "median_earnings": 53513,
      "net_price": 22063,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 446878,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 24,
      "school": "University of Arizona",
      "state": "AZ",
      "median_earnings": 42993,
      "net_price": 16674,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 363234,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 25,
      "school": "University of Delaware",
      "state": "DE",
      "median_earnings": 41897,
      "net_price": 17799,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 347774,
      "public": true
    }
  ]
}