CollegeCostWise

Bachelor's · Santa Barbara, California

Is Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at University of California-Santa Barbara 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 4.1 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating
$36,564
Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating
$73,573
Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation
$12,291
NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families
$71k (likely $71k – $83k)
AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4
$34k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in CA
2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback
4.1 years (likely 3.4–5.1)
Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return
$59k (likely −$19k – $138k)
Today's dollars
20-year net return
$468k (likely $302k – $666k)
Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide)
84%
Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Borrowers making progress / in default, 2 years in
not reported / ≤ 20%
NSLDS AY2016-17, AY2017-18 pooled cohorts measured in 2018-19, 2019-20

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-Santa Barbara

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