Best Schools for Graphic Communications in 2026
54 schools ranked by DegreeWorth Score · Updated 2026
These are the top schools offering Graphic Communications, ranked by DegreeWorth Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Graphic Communications graduate earns $28,601/yr across 54 schools.
Programs Ranked
54
Avg Earnings
$28,601/yr
Avg DW Score
26/100
AI Risk
High
46% task exposure
All Graphic Communications Programs Ranked
Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.
| # | School | DW Score | Earnings | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA · Public |
59
51–60 |
$49,029/yr | 18.7x |
| 2 |
University of Maryland Global Campus
Adelphi, MD · Public |
57
49–58 |
$46,581/yr | 21.8x |
| 3 |
Brigham Young University
Provo, UT · Private nonprofit |
56
48–56 |
$38,725/yr | 32.6x |
| 4 |
University of Wisconsin-Stout
Menomonie, WI · Public |
52
44–53 |
$48,744/yr | 14.1x |
| 5 |
Baker College
Owosso, MI · Private nonprofit |
51
45–52 |
$74,387/yr | 13.5x |
| 6 |
Art Center College of Design
Pasadena, CA · Private nonprofit |
40
34–41 |
$67,010/yr | 2.2x |
| 7 |
Florida State College at Jacksonville
Jacksonville, FL · Public |
38
32–38 |
$30,795/yr | 25.8x |
| 8 |
Ringling College of Art and Design
Sarasota, FL · Private nonprofit |
38
30–39 |
$44,048/yr | 2.4x |
| 9 |
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, IA · Public |
38
31–39 |
$36,419/yr | 11.7x |
| 10 |
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Newark, NJ · Public |
35
27–35 |
$39,134/yr | 5.8x |
| 11 |
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA · Public |
35
30–35 |
$29,192/yr | 10.1x |
| 12 |
Bowling Green State University-Main Campus
Bowling Green, OH · Public |
34
27–35 |
$38,489/yr | 7.5x |
| 13 |
Indian River State College
Fort Pierce, FL · Public |
33
28–33 |
$28,874/yr | 30.6x |
| 14 |
Arizona State University Campus Immersion
Tempe, AZ · Public |
32
27–32 |
$29,305/yr | 10.3x |
| 15 |
University of Minnesota-Duluth
Duluth, MN · Public |
32
25–33 |
$36,557/yr | 5.4x |
| 16 |
University of Silicon Valley
San Jose, CA · Private for-profit |
31
25–32 |
$33,727/yr | 5.3x |
| 17 |
University of Idaho
Moscow, ID · Public |
31
27–31 |
$25,848/yr | 13.2x |
| 18 |
Pittsburg State University
Pittsburg, KS · Public |
31
26–31 |
$30,270/yr | 12.6x |
| 19 |
Carroll University
Waukesha, WI · Private nonprofit |
31
23–32 |
$40,825/yr | 2.7x |
| 20 |
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester, NY · Private nonprofit |
30
24–30 |
$32,044/yr | 2.4x |
| 21 |
Ferris State University
Big Rapids, MI · Public |
28
23–29 |
$30,059/yr | 8.1x |
| 22 |
DigiPen Institute of Technology
Redmond, WA · Private for-profit |
28
21–28 |
$37,605/yr | 2.6x |
| 23 |
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit |
26
23–27 |
$26,309/yr | 4.0x |
| 24 |
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, CA · Private for-profit |
23
19–23 |
$27,481/yr | 3.8x |
| 25 |
Morgan State University
Baltimore, MD · Public |
23
20–23 |
$24,843/yr | 6.7x |
| 26 |
New Mexico State University-Main Campus
Las Cruces, NM · Public |
23
20–23 |
$24,115/yr | 6.4x |
| 27 |
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit |
22
16–22 |
$31,790/yr | 0.3x |
| 28 |
University of California-Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, CA · Public |
21
18–21 |
$25,358/yr | 3.4x |
| 29 |
Laguna College of Art and Design
Laguna Beach, CA · Private nonprofit |
21
18–21 |
$17,941/yr | 3.4x |
| 30 |
Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, MI · Public |
21
18–22 |
$22,795/yr | 6.6x |
| 31 |
SUNY College of Technology at Alfred
Alfred, NY · Public |
20
18–21 |
$21,373/yr | 9.3x |
| 32 |
SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill
Cobleskill, NY · Public |
20
17–20 |
$19,120/yr | 4.5x |
| 33 |
Lynn University
Boca Raton, FL · Private nonprofit |
19
17–20 |
$17,099/yr | -0.0x |
| 34 |
Bradley University
Peoria, IL · Private nonprofit |
19
16–20 |
$24,941/yr | 2.7x |
| 35 |
Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY · Public |
19
17–19 |
$12,261/yr | 4.0x |
| 36 |
East Tennessee State University
Johnson City, TN · Public |
19
17–20 |
$20,802/yr | 8.3x |
| 37 |
Los Angeles Film School
Hollywood, CA · Private for-profit |
19
17–20 |
$15,529/yr | — |
| 38 |
Chowan University
Murfreesboro, NC · Private nonprofit |
18
14–18 |
$25,301/yr | 1.3x |
| 39 |
Atlantic University
Guaynabo, PR · Private nonprofit |
18
16–19 |
$15,397/yr | 3.6x |
| 40 |
Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design
Lakewood, CO · Private for-profit |
17
14–17 |
$23,247/yr | 1.5x |
| 41 |
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Honolulu, HI · Public |
16
14–17 |
$16,556/yr | 6.0x |
| 42 |
Cleveland Institute of Art
Cleveland, OH · Private nonprofit |
15
12–15 |
$19,409/yr | 0.0x |
| 43 |
California College of the Arts
San Francisco, CA · Private nonprofit |
14
10–14 |
$26,481/yr | 1.1x |
| 44 |
Savannah College of Art and Design
Savannah, GA · Private nonprofit |
14
11–15 |
$23,451/yr | 2.0x |
| 45 |
Regent University
Virginia Beach, VA · Private nonprofit |
14
12–15 |
$16,280/yr | 3.6x |
| 46 |
DePaul University
Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit |
12
10–13 |
$19,178/yr | 1.8x |
| 47 |
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Minneapolis, MN · Private nonprofit |
12
9–13 |
$24,427/yr | 1.4x |
| 48 |
Pratt Institute-Main
Brooklyn, NY · Private nonprofit |
11
9–12 |
$20,048/yr | 1.2x |
| 49 |
School of Visual Arts
New York, NY · Private for-profit |
11
8–11 |
$22,478/yr | 0.8x |
| 50 |
Columbus College of Art & Design
Columbus, OH · Private nonprofit |
11
8–11 |
$20,110/yr | 1.3x |
Methodology
Programs are ranked by DegreeWorth Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (10-year projected earnings vs. 4-year tuition).
Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best school for Graphic Communications?
Based on our DegreeWorth Score, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ranks #1 for Graphic Communications with a score of 59/100 and graduate earnings of $49,029/yr.
How much do Graphic Communications graduates earn?
Across 54 schools, Graphic Communications graduates earn an average of $28,601/yr in their first year. The highest-earning program reports $74,387/yr.
Is Graphic Communications a good major for AI resistance?
Graphic Communications has an average AI task exposure of 46%, rated "High". This field has moderate AI exposure — some career paths are more resilient than others.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034
(employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE.
Last updated 2025.