Bachelor's · Berkeley, California

Is Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at University of California-Berkeley worth it?

Medium confidence Medium confidence: 40–99 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back in time: graduates typically recover the cost in about 3.1 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $52,175; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $81,327; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $7,970; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $62k (likely $62k – $66k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $42k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in CA; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 3.1 years (likely 2.5–3.9); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $151k (likely $46k – $248k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $656k (likely $425k – $900k); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 94%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26

Change income, residency or loans Compare Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at other schools

🌍 Getting ready in high school

Students heading toward languages & cultures majors like this one often take these classes. Every school offers a different mix, so check with your counselor.

AP classes

AP Spanish Language and Culture (or French, German, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Latin)
AP World History: Modern
AP Human Geography

IB Higher Level

Language B HL
History HL or Geography HL

Build my roadmap 🗺️ Middle school to career, plus high schools near you that offer these classes.

Other majors at University of California-Berkeley

Law (First professional)$226,996
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (First professional)$226,351
Information Science/Studies (First professional)$209,391
Computer Science (Bachelor's)$204,379
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's)$200,543
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's)$191,069
Physics (Doctoral)$177,589
Chemistry (Doctoral)$168,396
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Master's)$162,352
Mechanical Engineering (Master's)$147,475
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's)$144,599
Mechanical Engineering (First professional)$140,788

Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at other schools in California

Occidental College$71,779
University of California-Santa Barbara$68,496
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona$68,077
University of Redlands$67,126
San Francisco State University$62,623
Loyola Marymount University$62,024
University of the Pacific$61,487
University of California-Davis$60,797
University of Southern California$59,088
California State University-Chico$56,144