Bachelor's · Madison, Wisconsin
Is Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at University of Wisconsin-Madison worth it?
High confidence High confidence: 100+ 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 5.8 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $42,529
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $62,906
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $16,899
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Net cost to graduate, all families
- $70k (likely $70k – $81k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- $22k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in WI
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- 5.8 years (likely 4.8–7.4)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- −$59k (likely −$119k – −$1k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- $214k (likely $85k – $365k)
- Today's dollars
- Odds of finishing (school-wide)
- 90%
- 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 / ≤ 10%
- 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 Wisconsin-Madison
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