Federal data
Highest earning journalism programs in California
California journalism programs, ranked by median earnings one year after completion, from the College Scorecard field-of-study file (September 18, 2026). Only programs with at least 30 counted graduates in the earnings sample are shown, and at least 5 programs must qualify for this list to exist.
| Rank | School | City | Sector | Median earnings, 1 year after | Graduates counted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | San Luis Obispo | Public, 4-year | $48,637 | 69 |
| 2 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $44,651 | 37 |
| 3 | Chapman University | Orange | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $41,645 | 31 |
| 4 | California State University-Chico | Chico | Public, 4-year | $35,668 | 78 |
| 5 | Ashford University | San Diego | For-profit, 4-year | $32,459 | 52 |
| 6 | San Francisco State University | San Francisco | Public, 4-year | $31,788 | 75 |
| 7 | University of California-Irvine | Irvine | Public, 4-year | $31,102 | 32 |
| 8 | California State University-Sacramento | Sacramento | Public, 4-year | $30,644 | 38 |
| 9 | California State University-Northridge | Northridge | Public, 4-year | $30,564 | 168 |
| 10 | San Diego State University | San Diego | Public, 4-year | $30,269 | 30 |
| 11 | California State University-Long Beach | Long Beach | Public, 4-year | $28,844 | 134 |
Earnings cover federally aided graduates only, as published by College Scorecard.
How to read this. A smaller program can show a high or low figure from just a few graduates, and this earnings figure only ever covers students who received federal aid, so it does not describe every graduate.
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