Does an English Language and Literature, General Degree Pay Off? Earnings, Debt & Schools

Other degree levels for this field: Associate degrees · Certificates and diplomas · Master's degrees

This page shows what graduates with a bachelor's degree in English Language and Literature, General earn four years after graduating, what they typically owe, the schools that report these figures (listed alphabetically), and the occupations linked to this field by the federal CIP-to-SOC crosswalk. It covers 540 reporting units (schools, or groups of campuses that report together) with these figures.

Median earnings, 4 years after graduation

$48,590

All graduates nationally

Middle half of graduates nationally

$33,654–$63,810

25th to 75th percentile

Typical federal debt of graduates

$24,500

Median across reporting units

In context: across the 132 bachelor's-degree fields with earnings reported by at least 30 schools or school groups, the typical field's median is $58,911; this field's median of $48,590 is 18% below that. The middle half of its graduates differ by $30,156 (25th to 75th percentile), narrower than the typical field's $36,476, so earnings within this field are more tightly grouped than usual. Typical federal debt of $24,500 is about 50% of one year of that median (debt and earnings cover different graduating years). These are group figures, not predictions for any graduate.

Schools reporting earnings for English Language and Literature, General graduates

Listed alphabetically to start; MajorPays does not rank schools. Click a column heading to sort; shift-click more headings to sort by several columns as a group. Median earnings four years after graduation, bachelor's degree, for programs with at least 30 graduates measured (332 reporting units; campuses that share one federal school ID report together and appear once). Schools with fewer graduates in the major, or whose figure the Department of Education withholds, are not listed.

School	State	Median earnings, 4 years after	Graduates measured
American Public University System	WV	$43,415	64
Appalachian State University	NC	$45,954	93
Arizona State University Campus Immersion (reported together with 1 other campus under one federal school ID)	AZ	$50,205	447
Arkansas State University	AR	$38,366	38
Ashford University	CA	$47,071	64
Assumption University	MA	$62,073	47
Athens State University	AL	$47,773	30
Auburn University	AL	$44,158	44
Austin Peay State University	TN	$42,543	38
Ball State University	IN	$38,676	93
Barnard College	NY	$61,327	33
Belmont University	TN	$46,342	31
Binghamton University	NY	$64,555	147
Biola University	CA	$43,154	36
Bloomfield College of Montclair State University (reported together with 1 other campus under one federal school ID)	NJ	$45,337	178
Boise State University	ID	$39,059	88
Boston College	MA	$70,141	80
Boston University	MA	$58,564	40
Bridgewater State University	MA	$51,020	199
Brigham Young University	UT	$54,290	84
Brigham Young University-Idaho	ID	$36,173	76
Brown University	RI	$73,497	33
Bryn Mawr College	PA	$38,040	30
California Baptist University	CA	$56,656	35
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	CA	$63,413	51
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt	CA	$43,310	49
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona	CA	$47,721	66
California State University-Bakersfield	CA	$52,420	62
California State University-Channel Islands	CA	$53,200	50
California State University-Chico	CA	$49,189	67
California State University-East Bay	CA	$53,147	38
California State University-Fresno	CA	$47,223	60
California State University-Fullerton	CA	$51,845	156
California State University-Long Beach	CA	$49,804	187
California State University-Los Angeles	CA	$52,259	75
California State University-Northridge	CA	$47,660	152
California State University-Sacramento	CA	$50,680	159
California State University-San Bernardino	CA	$43,648	56
California State University-San Marcos	CA	$54,985	73
California State University-Stanislaus	CA	$54,501	50
Carthage College	WI	$47,935	35
Central Connecticut State University	CT	$55,295	79
Central Michigan University	MI	$39,262	56
Christopher Newport University	VA	$55,379	59
Clemson University	SC	$50,582	65
Cleveland State University	OH	$41,767	72
Coastal Carolina University	SC	$37,707	53
College of Charleston	SC	$51,705	48
College of Staten Island CUNY	NY	$53,083	128
College of the Holy Cross	MA	$74,214	70
Colorado State University-Fort Collins	CO	$46,154	73
Columbia College	MO	$36,714	34
Columbia University in the City of New York	NY	$59,396	44
Columbus State University	GA	$42,316	36
Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania	PA	$46,990	77
Cornell University	NY	$65,089	36
CUNY Brooklyn College	NY	$54,014	61
CUNY City College	NY	$47,753	120
CUNY Hunter College	NY	$55,759	193
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice	NY	$56,768	82
CUNY Lehman College	NY	$54,674	102
CUNY Queens College	NY	$50,194	95
DePaul University	IL	$52,608	93
Dickinson College	PA	$57,603	34
Duquesne University	PA	$54,025	37
East Carolina University	NC	$43,585	74
East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania	PA	$47,162	39
East Tennessee State University	TN	$43,001	48
Eastern Connecticut State University	CT	$51,257	49
Eastern Illinois University	IL	$47,222	32
Eastern Michigan University	MI	$39,726	40
Eastern Washington University	WA	$41,541	32
Fairfield University	CT	$62,527	44
Flagler College	FL	$53,263	33
Florida Atlantic University	FL	$47,642	119
Florida Gulf Coast University	FL	$45,842	56
Florida International University	FL	$47,659	131
Florida State University	FL	$52,602	468
Fordham University	NY	$63,834	104
Fort Lewis College	CO	$41,653	31
Framingham State University	MA	$53,400	36
Franciscan University of Steubenville	OH	$38,761	34
George Mason University	VA	$56,071	83
Georgetown University	DC	$78,370	55
Georgia College & State University	GA	$44,931	51
Georgia Southern University	GA	$45,901	50
Georgia State University	GA	$49,792	117
Georgian Court University	NJ	$56,715	54
Gettysburg College	PA	$60,876	45
Gonzaga University	WA	$59,151	31
Grand Valley State University	MI	$45,237	88
Gustavus Adolphus College	MN	$46,987	32
Hofstra University	NY	$55,054	48
Hope College	MI	$47,445	35
Illinois State University	IL	$47,445	112
Indiana State University	IN	$40,676	34
Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus	PA	$49,537	41
Indiana University-Bloomington	IN	$56,204	69
Indiana University-East	IN	$38,061	32
Indiana University-Indianapolis	IN	$38,198	56
Iowa State University	IA	$49,626	87
James Madison University	VA	$57,487	52
Kalamazoo College	MI	$49,150	32
Kean University	NJ	$54,749	142
Keene State College	NH	$48,091	39
Kennesaw State University	GA	$50,587	89
Kent State University at Ashtabula (reported together with 7 other campuses under one federal school ID)	OH	$36,241	95
Kenyon College	OH	$52,945	41
Lake Forest College	IL	$58,901	32
Le Moyne College	NY	$55,364	35
Lewis & Clark College	OR	$39,705	37
Liberty University	VA	$42,576	42
Longwood University	VA	$51,485	36
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College	LA	$49,464	96
Loyola Marymount University	CA	$66,806	68
Loyola University Chicago	IL	$56,289	51
Luther College	IA	$46,116	30
Marshall University	WV	$39,402	36
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts	MA	$39,955	78
Metropolitan State University of Denver	CO	$51,955	96
Miami University-Hamilton (reported together with 2 other campuses under one federal school ID)	OH	$46,269	39
Michigan State University	MI	$49,154	107
Middle Tennessee State University	TN	$47,105	81
Millersville University of Pennsylvania	PA	$42,756	40
Missouri State University-Springfield	MO	$38,690	39
Monmouth University	NJ	$60,220	72
Montana State University	MT	$47,757	45
Mount Holyoke College	MA	$48,984	31
New Jersey City University	NJ	$60,574	55
New York University	NY	$66,306	78
North Carolina State University at Raleigh	NC	$48,338	88
Northeastern Illinois University	IL	$49,141	60
Northeastern State University	OK	$38,731	30
Northern Arizona University	AZ	$45,915	64
Northern Illinois University	IL	$47,981	69
Northern Kentucky University	KY	$44,385	60
Northwestern University	IL	$62,147	35
Oakland University	MI	$48,101	87
Ohio State University-Lima Campus (reported together with 4 other campuses under one federal school ID)	OH	$48,301	234
Oklahoma State University-Main Campus	OK	$43,494	48
Old Dominion University	VA	$49,024	95
Oregon State University	OR	$42,541	33
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus (reported together with 9 other campuses under one federal school ID)	PA	$50,299	134
Pennsylvania Western University	PA	$37,813	48
Plymouth State University	NH	$45,019	38
Portland State University	OR	$43,342	130
Purdue University Fort Wayne	IN	$38,113	30
Purdue University Northwest	IN	$34,560	31
Purdue University-Main Campus	IN	$52,053	30
Radford University	VA	$39,085	37
Regent University	VA	$40,012	45
Rhode Island College	RI	$48,948	40
Rider University	NJ	$51,521	35
Rowan University	NJ	$57,895	127
Rutgers University-Camden (reported together with 2 other campuses under one federal school ID)	NJ	$55,337	240
Saint Cloud State University	MN	$38,464	39
Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia	PA	$52,137	38
Salem State University	MA	$43,621	47
Salisbury University	MD	$53,906	39
Sam Houston State University	TX	$48,761	80
San Diego State University	CA	$49,406	109
San Francisco State University	CA	$56,297	87
Seton Hall University	NJ	$65,714	37
Siena College	NY	$59,280	35
Skidmore College	NY	$51,029	30
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania	PA	$50,034	53
Smith College	MA	$52,938	52
Sonoma State University	CA	$59,418	71
Southeastern Louisiana University	LA	$39,235	34
Southern Connecticut State University	CT	$50,725	54
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville	IL	$41,310	59
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale	IL	$37,786	33
Southern New Hampshire University	NH	$47,103	158
Spelman College	GA	$62,425	35
St Lawrence University	NY	$61,335	35
St Olaf College	MN	$49,382	40
St. John's University-New York	NY	$59,267	45
St. Mary's College of Maryland	MD	$53,504	31
State University of New York at New Paltz	NY	$45,024	31
State University of New York at Oswego	NY	$40,431	37
Stephen F Austin State University	TX	$46,849	35
Stockton University	NJ	$52,809	59
Stony Brook University	NY	$55,210	66
SUNY at Fredonia	NY	$40,929	39
SUNY Brockport	NY	$43,956	59
SUNY College at Geneseo	NY	$47,460	45
SUNY Old Westbury	NY	$53,652	37
SUNY Oneonta	NY	$48,926	35
Syracuse University	NY	$60,602	59
Temple University	PA	$53,018	141
Texas A & M International University	TX	$45,454	51
Texas A&M University-College Station	TX	$56,703	177
Texas A&M University-San Antonio	TX	$48,877	40
Texas State University	TX	$47,634	193
Texas Tech University	TX	$50,849	53
The College of New Jersey	NJ	$56,905	56
The University of Alabama	AL	$44,278	51
The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga	TN	$45,253	54
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville	TN	$46,366	120
The University of Texas at Arlington	TX	$50,495	70
The University of Texas at Austin	TX	$53,860	181
The University of Texas at El Paso	TX	$45,184	57
The University of Texas at San Antonio	TX	$44,680	124
The University of Texas at Tyler	TX	$48,397	41
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley	TX	$45,746	165
Towson University	MD	$53,164	86
Trinity College	CT	$68,063	31
Truman State University	MO	$38,923	33
Tufts University	MA	$69,475	30
Tulane University of Louisiana	LA	$57,752	44
University at Albany	NY	$51,206	141
University at Buffalo	NY	$51,385	52
University of Alabama at Birmingham	AL	$48,706	59
University of Arizona	AZ	$44,058	74
University of Arkansas	AR	$47,809	64
University of Arkansas at Little Rock	AR	$45,610	32
University of California-Berkeley	CA	$60,187	198
University of California-Davis	CA	$59,012	179
University of California-Irvine	CA	$54,299	116
University of California-Los Angeles	CA	$55,346	295
University of California-Riverside	CA	$50,712	147
University of California-Santa Barbara	CA	$59,334	143
University of Central Florida	FL	$46,532	169
University of Chicago	IL	$78,169	37
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus	OH	$40,360	40
University of Colorado Boulder	CO	$54,085	63
University of Colorado Colorado Springs	CO	$42,627	83
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus	CO	$54,500	45
University of Connecticut	CT	$55,376	149
University of Dallas	TX	$50,113	44
University of Dayton	OH	$57,868	33
University of Delaware	DE	$56,243	107
University of Florida	FL	$49,046	157
University of Georgia	GA	$51,988	67
University of Hawaii at Manoa	HI	$39,948	50
University of Houston	TX	$49,884	84
University of Houston-Clear Lake	TX	$57,052	30
University of Houston-Downtown	TX	$45,223	41
University of Illinois Chicago	IL	$48,442	109
University of Illinois Springfield	IL	$48,196	31
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign	IL	$54,570	93
University of Iowa	IA	$51,679	79
University of Kansas	KS	$46,464	56
University of Kentucky	KY	$44,384	63
University of Louisiana at Lafayette	LA	$41,936	38
University of Louisville	KY	$45,572	70
University of Maine	ME	$50,825	39
University of Mary Washington	VA	$45,824	95
University of Maryland Global Campus	MD	$54,444	60
University of Maryland-Baltimore County	MD	$57,547	50
University of Maryland-College Park	MD	$59,288	117
University of Massachusetts-Amherst	MA	$48,475	49
University of Massachusetts-Boston	MA	$53,347	110
University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth	MA	$47,268	56
University of Massachusetts-Lowell	MA	$54,039	118
University of Memphis	TN	$41,383	79
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	MI	$57,809	122
University of Michigan-Dearborn	MI	$49,421	30
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities	MN	$47,873	169
University of Missouri-Columbia	MO	$47,487	108
University of Missouri-Kansas City	MO	$56,584	38
University of Missouri-St Louis	MO	$43,582	40
University of Nebraska at Omaha	NE	$48,296	30
University of Nebraska-Lincoln	NE	$48,785	83
University of Nevada-Las Vegas	NV	$48,773	88
University of Nevada-Reno	NV	$45,095	63
University of New Hampshire at Manchester (reported together with 2 other campuses under one federal school ID)	NH	$52,697	163
University of New Mexico-Main Campus	NM	$46,850	64
University of North Alabama	AL	$47,150	33
University of North Carolina Asheville	NC	$33,714	42
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	NC	$51,208	140
University of North Carolina at Charlotte	NC	$49,088	166
University of North Carolina at Greensboro	NC	$38,366	92
University of North Carolina Wilmington	NC	$46,008	59
University of North Dakota	ND	$44,961	34
University of North Florida	FL	$42,390	93
University of North Georgia	GA	$45,047	47
University of North Texas	TX	$52,576	183
University of Northern Colorado	CO	$46,455	40
University of Northern Iowa	IA	$46,343	71
University of Notre Dame	IN	$60,998	42
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus	OK	$58,854	34
University of Oregon	OR	$47,639	85
University of Pennsylvania	PA	$61,989	40
University of Phoenix-Arizona	AZ	$47,429	212
University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez	PR	$35,933	42
University of Puget Sound	WA	$50,690	32
University of Rhode Island	RI	$54,524	77
University of San Diego	CA	$68,752	31
University of South Alabama	AL	$51,718	32
University of South Carolina-Columbia	SC	$45,185	92
University of South Florida	FL	$45,178	221
University of Southern Maine	ME	$43,823	51
University of Southern Mississippi	MS	$39,214	57
University of Toledo	OH	$41,253	32
University of Utah	UT	$47,005	77
University of Vermont	VT	$49,101	68
University of Virginia-Main Campus	VA	$55,412	83
University of Washington-Seattle Campus	WA	$57,649	62
University of West Georgia	GA	$40,855	50
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire	WI	$46,075	84
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse	WI	$46,043	46
University of Wisconsin-Madison	WI	$53,197	111
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee	WI	$46,712	112
University of Wisconsin-Parkside	WI	$34,689	31
University of Wisconsin-River Falls	WI	$51,089	30
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point	WI	$43,258	46
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater	WI	$46,409	81
University of Wyoming	WY	$45,673	36
Utah State University	UT	$50,708	108
Utah Valley University	UT	$44,206	84
Vanderbilt University	TN	$60,439	36
Vassar College	NY	$60,461	31
Villanova University	PA	$67,157	46
Virginia Commonwealth University	VA	$45,844	131
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	VA	$64,225	98
Washington State University	WA	$50,745	75
Wayne State University	MI	$42,585	80
Wellesley College	MA	$59,865	35
West Virginia University	WV	$41,920	71
Western Carolina University	NC	$45,079	50
Western Kentucky University	KY	$40,616	49
Western Washington University	WA	$46,571	91
Westfield State University	MA	$51,322	41
Whitworth University	WA	$47,699	35
William & Mary	VA	$57,616	53
William Paterson University of New Jersey	NJ	$42,632	63
Williams College	MA	$69,065	33
Winthrop University	SC	$44,068	45
Wofford College	SC	$58,036	39
Worcester State University	MA	$43,416	35
Wright State University-Lake Campus (reported together with 1 other campus under one federal school ID)	OH	$41,987	86

See every school that awarded bachelor's degrees in English Language and Literature, General in 2023-24, including schools that do not report earnings, with the number of degrees awarded (IPEDS Completions).

Occupations O*NET associates with this field

Occupations that U.S. Department of Labor O*NET data links to English Language and Literature, General programs, with each occupation's national median pay, projected job growth and yearly openings. They are listed in the order O*NET links them to this field; click a column heading to sort. This is a classification crosswalk, not evidence that graduates enter these jobs, and many of these occupations require more education, a license or experience beyond this credential. The figures describe the occupation, not the graduates of this major.

Career	Median pay, 2025	Projected growth, 2025–2035	Openings per year
English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary	$78,760	0.0%	4,500
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	$72,040	-0.2%	63,500
Proofreaders and Copy Markers	$51,120	-0.9%	1,100

Frequently asked questions

Does an English Language and Literature, General degree pay off?

Graduates with a bachelor's degree in English Language and Literature, General earn a median of $48,590 four years after graduating, and typically owe about $24,500 in federal loans. Earnings four years out are early-career pay, and they vary widely by school, job and place. Compare the pay with the cost of your own school on its graduate earnings page.

How much do college graduates earn overall?

See earnings by education level and by state.

Do English Language and Literature, General graduates work in their field?

The National Survey of College Graduates (2023) asked employed graduates whose highest degree is a bachelor's in art and humanities fields how closely their job relates to their degree. About 32% said closely related, 28% somewhat related and 40% not related (roughly 4.0 million graduates). This is a broad group of fields, not only English Language and Literature, General, and a job outside the field is not a bad outcome by itself.

Closely relatedSomewhat relatedNot related

Source: U.S. National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, National Survey of College Graduates, 2023 (Table 1-3, bachelor's level, all occupations). Survey estimates, rounded by NSF. MajorPays selected and reorganized these figures; NSF has not approved or endorsed them.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study data (June 2026 release), licensed under Creative Commons Attribution; careers from O*NET 31.0 by the U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Career pay, growth and openings: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025) and Employment Projections (2025-2035). MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; neither agency has approved or endorsed them. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. MajorPays has modified all or some of the O*NET information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Earnings are for graduates who received federal financial aid and were working and not enrolled four years after finishing (graduates of academic years 2014-15 and 2015-16, in 2021 dollars; the debt figures are for graduates of 2018-19 and 2019-20); the data says nothing about how much a school added to its graduates' earnings.