Best Journalism Programs in the Northeast (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Communication Colleges in the Northeast
Regional list from Best Journalism Programs in the United States
This page ranks the 41 Journalism programs in the Northeast by the median earnings of Journalism graduates four years after completing, highest first. Lehigh University leads the list at $81,935, followed by Northeastern University at $74,709 and Fordham University at $72,475.
Across the listed programs, the median figure is $54,717, with a spread of $55,196 from $81,935 to $26,739. For 3 of the 41 programs the earnings figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.
Public institutions account for 61% of the list, with 25 public and 16 private nonprofit programs represented. CUNY Bernard M Baruch College posts the lowest average net price at $3,033, and CUNY Bernard M Baruch College ranks 2nd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lehigh University · Bethlehem, PA | $81,935 | $36,931 | $16,917 | 25.9% |
| Lehigh University reports $81,935 in median earnings of Journalism graduates four years after completing and ranks 1st on this list. | |||||
| 2 | Northeastern University · Boston, MA | $74,709 | $30,915 | $2,264 | 5.2% |
| Northeastern University has a 5% admission rate and a median federal debt of $24,005 among Journalism completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 3 | Fordham University · Bronx, NY | $72,475 | $44,338 | $32,474 | 59.3% |
| Fordham University carries an average net price of $32,474 for families earning under $30,000 alongside median earnings of $72,475 four years after completing. | |||||
| 4 | Syracuse University · Syracuse, NY | $70,404 | $38,793 | $15,817 | 45.9% |
| Syracuse University ranks 4th on this list with $70,404 in median earnings and an earnings cohort of 123 graduates. | |||||
| 5 | The College of New Jersey · Ewing, NJ | $67,038 | $27,646 | $7,908 | 62.3% |
| The College of New Jersey shows a school-wide median federal debt of $23,250 across all borrowers who completed and an admission rate of 62%. | |||||
| 6 | Boston University · Boston, MA | $65,617 | $24,402 | $9,500 | 11.1% |
| Boston University posts median earnings of $65,617 four years after completing and an average net price of $24,402. | |||||
| 7 | Stony Brook University · Stony Brook, NY | $65,535 | $18,784 | $12,943 | 49.0% |
| Stony Brook University ranks 45th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports $65,535 in median earnings. | |||||
| 8 | Emerson College · Boston, MA | $63,337 | $49,180 | $32,650 | 51.3% |
| Emerson College carries a median federal debt of $23,610 among Journalism completers who borrowed and an admission rate of 51%. | |||||
| 9 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick · New Brunswick, NJ | $62,670 | $24,406 | $16,343 | 58.2% |
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick reports $62,670 in median earnings four years after completing and an average net price of $16,343 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 10 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus · University Park, PA | $62,336 | $32,875 | $19,845 | 60.6% |
| Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus ranks 10th on this list with an earnings cohort of 190 graduates and median earnings of $62,336. | |||||
| 11 | Quinnipiac University · Hamden, CT | $61,819 | $40,675 | $33,649 | 72.2% |
| Quinnipiac University has a 72% admission rate and a median federal debt of $23,750 among Journalism completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 12 | Hofstra University · Hempstead, NY | $61,609 | $34,176 | $28,219 | 68.1% |
| Hofstra University posts median earnings of $61,609 four years after completing and an average net price of $34,176. | |||||
| 13 | Ithaca College · Ithaca, NY | $61,317 | $33,926 | $21,901 | 69.0% |
| Ithaca College reports median earnings of $61,317 for its Journalism graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $33,926. | |||||
| 14 | CUNY Brooklyn College · Brooklyn, NY | $60,272 | $3,103 | $1,029 | 58.4% |
| CUNY Brooklyn College ranks 14th on this list and carries an average net price of $3,103. | |||||
| 15 | University of Connecticut · Storrs, CT | $59,604 | $25,097 | $15,193 | 52.4% |
| University of Connecticut admits 52% of applicants and its Journalism graduates earn a median of $59,604 four years after completing. | |||||
| 16 | University at Albany · Albany, NY | $59,495 | $17,167 | $11,112 | 69.1% |
| Graduates of University at Albany's Journalism program earn a median of $59,495 four years after completing, and completers who borrowed left with a median federal debt of $22,467. | |||||
| 17 | St. John's University-New York · Queens, NY | $59,067 | $29,999 | $27,787 | 83.4% |
| St. John's University-New York sits 17th on this page, with a median of $59,067 in earnings for its Journalism graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 18 | St Bonaventure University · Saint Bonaventure, NY | $58,816 | $27,074 | $15,651 | 81.7% |
| St Bonaventure University reports median earnings of $58,816 for its Journalism graduates four years after completing, with an admission rate of 82%. | |||||
| 19 | Suffolk University · Boston, MA | $57,220 | $29,618 | $24,745 | 82.3% |
| Suffolk University ranks 19th on this list and its Journalism graduates earn a median of $57,220 four years after completing. | |||||
| 20 | Central Connecticut State University · New Britain, CT | $56,990 | $16,857 | $13,589 | 73.3% |
| Central Connecticut State University carries an average net price of $16,857 and reports median earnings of $56,990 for its Journalism graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 21 | University of Maine · Orono, ME | $54,717 | $17,510 | $12,642 | 96.6% |
| University of Maine admits 97% of applicants and its Journalism graduates earn a median of $54,717 four years after completing. | |||||
| 22 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch College · New York, NY | $54,425 | $3,033 | $607 | 47.5% |
| CUNY Bernard M Baruch College holds an Azimuth composite rank of 2nd among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $54,425 for its Journalism graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 23 | Duquesne University · Pittsburgh, PA | $54,081 | $37,730 | $29,986 | 83.6% |
| Duquesne University shows a median federal debt of $26,244 across all of the school's borrowers who completed, while its Journalism graduates earn a median of $54,081 four years after completing. | |||||
| 24 | CUNY York College · Jamaica, NY | $53,901 | $4,456 | $2,861 | 64.1% |
| CUNY York College ranks 24th on this list and carries an average net price of $4,456, with median earnings of $53,901 for its Journalism graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 25 | Montclair State University · Montclair, NJ | $53,579 | $15,566 | $10,880 | 87.9% |
| Montclair State University reports median earnings of $53,579 for its Journalism graduates four years after completing, with a cohort of 22 graduates. | |||||
| 26 | Temple University · Philadelphia, PA | $53,518 | $28,198 | $22,694 | 80.4% |
| Temple University admits 80% of applicants and shows median earnings of $53,518 for its Journalism graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 27 | SUNY at Purchase College · Purchase, NY | $52,859 | $18,913 | $11,835 | 74.1% |
| SUNY at Purchase College ranks 27th on this list, and its Journalism completers who borrowed left with a median of $21,500 in federal loans. | |||||
| 28 | University of Rhode Island · Kingston, RI | $52,115 | $21,440 | $14,368 | 72.2% |
| University of Rhode Island, a public university in Kingston, posts an average net price of $21,440 alongside median earnings of $52,115 for its Journalism graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 29 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst · Amherst, MA | $52,011 | $22,383 | $10,164 | 59.7% |
| An average net price of $10,164 for families earning under $30,000 coincides with median earnings of $52,011 for Journalism graduates four years after completing at University of Massachusetts-Amherst. | |||||
| 30 | State University of New York at Oswego · Oswego, NY | $50,813 | $16,236 | $8,714 | 80.6% |
| State University of New York at Oswego ranks 337th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its Journalism graduates four years after completing earned a median of $50,813. | |||||
| 31 | Southern Connecticut State University · New Haven, CT | $50,760 | $20,857 | $17,736 | 91.5% |
| Southern Connecticut State University admits 91% of applicants, and its Journalism completers who borrowed left with a median of $20,101 in federal loans. | |||||
| 32 | SUNY Brockport · Brockport, NY | $50,073 | $16,353 | $10,911 | 70.7% |
| SUNY Brockport reports median earnings of $50,073 for its Journalism graduates four years after completing, with a cohort of 33 graduates. | |||||
| 33 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania · Indiana, PA | $49,625 | $16,804 | $12,364 | 90.8% |
| Indiana University of Pennsylvania ranks 33rd on this list, and its Journalism graduates four years after completing earned a median of $49,625. | |||||
| 34 | CUNY Lehman College · Bronx, NY | $49,025 | $3,148 | $1,589 | 56.6% |
| CUNY Lehman College posts an average net price of $3,148, and graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $10,950 in federal loans. | |||||
| 35 | Rowan University · Glassboro, NJ | $48,057 | $22,408 | $15,305 | 77.7% |
| Rowan University admits 78% of applicants and reports median earnings of $48,057 for its Journalism graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 36 | University of Scranton · Scranton, PA | $47,302 | $32,568 | $23,896 | 81.2% |
| University of Scranton, a private nonprofit university in Scranton, shows an average net price of $23,896 for families earning under $30,000 and median earnings of $47,302 for its Journalism graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 37 | Point Park University · Pittsburgh, PA | $45,859 | $25,942 | $22,436 | 96.9% |
| Point Park University admits 97% of applicants and reports median earnings of $45,859 for its Journalism graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 38 | State University of New York at Plattsburgh · Plattsburgh, NY | $40,034 | $17,156 | $9,400 | 78.4% |
| State University of New York at Plattsburgh posts an average net price of $17,156, and its Journalism graduates four years after completing earn a median of $40,034. | |||||
| 39 | State University of New York at New Paltz · New Paltz, NY | $36,085 | $18,809 | $10,541 | 61.6% |
| With a 62% admission rate, State University of New York at New Paltz reports median earnings of $36,085 for its Journalism graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 40 | Susquehanna University · Selinsgrove, PA | $33,176 | $28,819 | $19,757 | 81.4% |
| Susquehanna University reports $33,176 in median earnings for its Journalism graduates four years after completing, from a cohort of 6 graduates. | |||||
| 41 | SUNY at Fredonia · Fredonia, NY | $26,739 | $15,897 | $9,395 | 77.7% |
| SUNY at Fredonia ranks 41st on this list and posts an average net price of $9,395 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Journalism graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the Northeast appear. The figures cover federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled. For 3 of the 41 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The top-ranked program, Lehigh University, reports median earnings of $81,935, which is $7,226 above the $74,709 posted by second-ranked Northeastern University.
Related rankings
- Best Journalism Programs in the United States
- Best Colleges in the Northeast
- Top Journalism Programs in the Midwest by Earnings
- Best Journalism Programs in the South
- Best Journalism Programs in the West
- Best Communication Colleges in the Northeast
- Communication Colleges in the Northeast for Social Mobility