Bachelor's · University Park, Pennsylvania
Is Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus 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 slowly: graduates typically recover the cost in about 7.2 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $54,701
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $67,488
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $23,000
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Net cost to graduate, all families
- $143k (likely $143k – $174k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- $29k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in PA
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- 7.2 years (likely 5.8–9.5)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- −$67k (likely −$160k – $17k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- $278k (likely $112k – $473k)
- Today's dollars
- Odds of finishing (school-wide)
- 85%
- 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 Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
- Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's)$166,387
- Information Science/Studies (Master's)$158,815
- Physics (Master's)$150,865
- Systems Engineering (Master's)$145,507
- Information Science/Studies (Post-baccalaureate certificate)$141,703
- Business Administration, Management and Operations (Post-baccalaureate certificate)$140,589
- Computer Engineering (Master's)$140,393
- Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's)$139,676
- Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations (Master's)$138,103
- Computational Science (Master's)$137,367
- Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations (Post-baccalaureate certificate)$134,369
- Business/Commerce, General (Post-baccalaureate certificate)$134,050
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at other schools in Pennsylvania
- Villanova University$94,964
- Bucknell University$76,364
- Washington & Jefferson College$61,972
- Temple University$60,672
- Dickinson College$59,045
- Susquehanna University$58,349
- University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg$56,041
- University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus$56,041
- Lebanon Valley College$55,548
- Gettysburg College$47,088