---
title: Is a Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics degree worth the debt?
cip: 1605
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release)
sourceId: src:doe:college-scorecard:field-of-study:2026-06-10
---

# Is a Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **9** colleges (9 of 9 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $69,870 ($41,168 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $21,750 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 0.75× a first year's pay
- **Across-college spread (middle 50%):** $34,643–$69,870 — the program you choose moves the number this much.


**How to read this:** these are MEDIANS across college programs, measured **1–2 years after completion** (early career, graduates only) — NOT lifetime earnings, and NOT comparable to a college's 10-years-after-entry figure. They cover **federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report**; small programs are suppressed. A field median is not a prediction of your outcome, not causal (who enters a field differs by field), and **not a "best majors" ranking** — earnings are one dimension of worth. Verify by field at the official College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/).

## By degree level

| Level | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt | Debt/pay | Colleges | Programs reporting |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Bachelor's | $69,870 | $21,750 | 0.75× | 9 | 9/9 |

## Where a Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

Reflects who enrolls and where, not causal program quality.

| College | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt |
| --- | --- | --- |
| University of Connecticut (CT) | $69,870 | — |
| University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus (CT) | $69,870 | — |
| University of Connecticut-Avery Point (CT) | $69,870 | — |
| University of Connecticut-Stamford (CT) | $69,870 | — |
| University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus (CT) | $69,870 | — |
| University of Rhode Island (RI) | $64,419 | $23,773 |
| University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (MN) | $34,643 | — |
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte (NC) | $28,830 | $21,750 |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (MI) | $21,743 | $17,959 |

RECORDED College Scorecard figures + one DERIVED ratio (debt-to-earnings). Informs and compares; not advice on what to major in. Each college's full record: `/education/<slug>`.

Structured data: `/education/fields/germanic-languages-literatures-and-linguistics.jsonld` · `/education/fields/germanic-languages-literatures-and-linguistics.json`