Best colleges for Graphic Communications in California
Program-level earnings — not school prestige — rank these. Among the California programs in the federal field-of-study file, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo leads: its Graphic Communications graduates earn a median $79,432 four years after finishing, against the field's $43,283 national median. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026.)
| # | College | Grad earnings, 4 yrs | Vs field median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | $79,432 | +$36,149 |
| 2 | Loyola Marymount University | $76,522 | +$33,239 |
| 3 | University of California-Santa Cruz | $58,163 | +$14,880 |
How big is the earnings gap between California Graphic Communications programs?
$21,269 separates the top and bottom of this list — $79,432 at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo against $58,163 at University of California-Santa Cruz, four years after finishing. Same field, same state, same federal measure: where you study moves pay by that much.
Do California Graphic Communications graduates earn more than the national median?
The state's strongest program pays $36,149 above the $43,283 national median for the field. Program-level medians come from federal tax records of graduates who received aid, so they track actual pay rather than advertised salaries.