Which state pays writing and rhetoric bachelor's graduates the most?

Texas, where the median program pays its graduates $37,883 in their first year, the highest of 7 state rankings. Ohio is next, at $31,218.

Which writing and rhetoric bachelor's program pays the most?

Wabash College in Indiana reports the highest first-year pay of the 110 programs ranked here, $50,446. Its median federal debt is $27,000.

How much debt do writing and rhetoric bachelor's graduates have?

The median program leaves its graduates with $25,000 in federal debt. Across programs, the median debt is 82% of first-year pay.

Highest-Paying Writing and Rhetoric (Bachelor's) Programs in the US

110 programs report first-year pay
7 state rankings
Bachelor's in Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

The median writing and rhetoric bachelor's program in the US pays its graduates $28,430 in their first year and $47,988 five years after. Texas has the highest state median ($37,883), and Michigan the lowest ($24,195). The median program leaves its graduates with $25,000 in federal debt.

Median first-year pay$28,430Across 110 programs

Median pay after 5 years$47,988Across 108 programs

Median federal debt$25,000Across 109 programs

Debt-to-earnings82%Across 101 programs

All 110 programs, ranked by graduate pay

Each program is ranked by the median pay of its graduates one year after they finished, from College Scorecard. This measures what graduates earn, not how good the teaching is. Pay also depends on where graduates live and work. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

#	School	Year 1 pay	After cost of living	Year 5 pay	Debt	Debt to pay
1	Wabash CollegeCrawfordsville, IN · private nonprofit	$50,446	$54,052	Not reported	$27,000	54%
2	University of UtahSalt Lake City, UT · public	$47,950	$48,501	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
3	Missouri StateSpringfield, MO · public	$47,377	Not adjusted	$50,032	$26,500	56%
4	UNTDenton, TX · public	$45,015	$46,380	$56,151	$19,424	43%
5	UC BerkeleyBerkeley, CA · public	$44,553	$40,239	$69,742	$14,037	32%
6	ASUTempe, AZ · public	$44,411	Not adjusted	$63,437	$30,114	68%
7	Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD · private nonprofit	$43,524	Not adjusted	$62,703	$13,728	32%
8	Clemson UniversityClemson, SC · public	$43,505	$46,406	$70,941	$23,250	53%
9	University of Rhode IslandKingston, RI · public	$43,267	Not adjusted	$51,925	$22,195	51%
10	Miami UniversityOxford, OH · public	$42,287	$45,581	$53,086	$23,750	56%
11	George MasonFairfax, VA · public	$40,114	$39,676	$65,410	$23,250	58%
12	Texas TechLubbock, TX · public	$39,943	$41,154	$58,424	$21,500	54%
13	Metropolitan State UniversitySaint Paul, MN · public	$39,558	$40,111	$50,935	$26,680	67%
14	Metropolitan State University of DenverDenver, CO · public	$39,526	$38,355	$56,872	$19,998	51%
15	UT AustinAustin, TX · public	$38,713	$39,887	$61,896	$21,323	55%
16	University of MinnesotaMinneapolis, MN · public	$38,407	$38,944	$57,881	$22,375	58%
17	UT ArlingtonArlington, TX · public	$37,883	$39,032	$66,592	$17,417	46%
18	Texas StateSan Marcos, TX · public	$37,548	$38,687	$56,889	$21,765	58%
19	Shippensburg University of PennsylvaniaShippensburg, PA · public	$37,446	$38,378	$67,069	$27,000	72%
20	Columbia UniversityNew York, NY · private nonprofit	$36,244	Not adjusted	$67,649	Not reported	Not reported
21	Weber StateOgden, UT · public	$36,205	$36,621	$46,871	$21,398	59%
22	University of Nebraska at KearneyKearney, NE · public	$35,726	Not adjusted	$47,989	Not reported	Not reported
23	Old Dominion UniversityNorfolk, VA · public	$35,716	$35,326	$53,896	$26,000	73%
24	University of PittsburghPittsburgh, PA · public	$35,700	$36,588	$53,776	$26,000	73%
25	USFTampa, FL · public	$35,634	$34,458	$54,382	Not reported	Not reported
26	UW-StoutMenomonie, WI · public	$35,423	$37,646	$50,892	$27,000	76%
27	Oakland UniversityRochester Hills, MI · public	$34,464	$35,819	$32,718	$25,500	74%
28	CU DenverDenver, CO · public	$34,339	$33,322	$46,400	$33,000	96%
29	Cal Poly HumboldtArcata, CA · public	$34,309	$30,987	$52,626	$16,500	48%
30	Loyola University MarylandBaltimore, MD · private nonprofit	$34,013	Not adjusted	Not reported	$27,000	79%
31	University of New MexicoAlbuquerque, NM · public	$33,999	$36,870	$48,122	$14,363	42%
32	Elmhurst UniversityElmhurst, IL · private nonprofit	$33,556	$33,570	$54,045	$23,250	69%
33	Franklin and Marshall CollegeLancaster, PA · private nonprofit	$33,476	Not adjusted	Not reported	$23,083	69%
34	Emerson CollegeBoston, MA · private nonprofit	$33,441	Not adjusted	$49,817	$24,250	73%
35	Michigan StateEast Lansing, MI · public	$33,401	$34,714	$62,048	$25,750	77%
36	Pepperdine UniversityMalibu, CA · private nonprofit	$33,228	Not adjusted	Not reported	$24,027	72%
37	St. Joseph's University-New YorkBrooklyn, NY · private nonprofit	$33,205	$30,768	$62,254	$26,170	79%
38	Seattle UniversitySeattle, WA · private nonprofit	$32,663	Not adjusted	$31,966	$24,500	75%
39	San Francisco StateSan Francisco, CA · public	$32,431	$29,291	$43,400	$18,500	57%
40	Oglethorpe UniversityAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	$32,415	$33,663	$51,839	$28,000	86%
41	Youngstown StateYoungstown, OH · public	$31,763	$34,237	$39,088	$26,169	82%
42	DePauw UniversityGreencastle, IN · private nonprofit	$31,640	Not adjusted	$58,790	$27,000	85%
43	Saint Edward's UniversityAustin, TX · private nonprofit	$31,518	$32,474	Not reported	$26,000	82%
44	Georgia Southern UniversityStatesboro, GA · public	$31,447	$32,658	$43,489	$25,000	79%
45	University of MichiganAnn Arbor, MI · public	$31,239	Not adjusted	$50,559	$13,999	45%
46	Bowling Green StateBowling Green, OH · public	$31,218	$33,650	$52,366	$27,000	86%
47	Grand Valley StateAllendale, MI · public	$31,016	$32,235	$38,930	$25,000	81%
48	GCUPhoenix, AZ · private nonprofit	$31,006	Not adjusted	Not reported	$26,186	84%
49	Brown UniversityProvidence, RI · private nonprofit	$30,741	Not adjusted	Not reported	$10,500	34%
50	SNHUManchester, NH · private nonprofit	$30,077	Not adjusted	$39,888	$33,490	111%
51	Emory UniversityAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	$29,909	Not adjusted	$53,363	$21,000	70%
52	University of WashingtonSeattle, WA · public	$29,758	$27,808	$42,372	$17,872	60%
53	Macalester CollegeSaint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	$29,487	Not adjusted	Not reported	$20,000	68%
54	Cal State LALos Angeles, CA · public	$28,725	$25,944	$54,514	$13,500	47%
55	Hamilton CollegeClinton, NY · private nonprofit	$28,442	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
56	SCADSavannah, GA · private nonprofit	$28,418	Not adjusted	$30,561	$26,000	91%
57	SUNY OswegoOswego, NY · public	$28,103	$26,040	$42,680	$26,000	93%
58	Central Washington UniversityEllensburg, WA · public	$27,832	$26,008	Not reported	$23,224	83%
59	Arcadia UniversityGlenside, PA · private nonprofit	$27,390	Not adjusted	Not reported	$27,000	99%
60	University of Central ArkansasConway, AR · public	$27,366	$31,478	Not reported	$25,000	91%
61	Western Washington UniversityBellingham, WA · public	$27,116	$25,339	$38,281	$18,064	67%
62	Lipscomb UniversityNashville, TN · private nonprofit	$26,994	Not adjusted	Not reported	$19,500	72%
63	Manhattanville UniversityPurchase, NY · private nonprofit	$26,779	Not adjusted	Not reported	$27,000	101%
64	University of ArizonaTucson, AZ · public	$26,715	$26,535	$47,986	$24,822	93%
65	Calvin UniversityGrand Rapids, MI · private nonprofit	$26,637	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
66	USCLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	$26,636	$24,057	$66,177	$19,500	73%
67	Elizabethtown CollegeElizabethtown, PA · private nonprofit	$26,534	Not adjusted	$52,248	$27,000	102%
68	Ithaca CollegeIthaca, NY · private nonprofit	$26,443	$24,502	$38,514	$25,000	95%
69	University of Nebraska at OmahaOmaha, NE · public	$26,360	$29,255	Not reported	$24,825	94%
70	UCFOrlando, FL · public	$26,282	$25,414	Not reported	$22,676	86%
71	Kutztown University of PennsylvaniaKutztown, PA · public	$26,242	$26,895	$48,905	$27,000	103%
72	University of IdahoMoscow, ID · public	$25,574	Not adjusted	Not reported	$26,650	104%
73	University of TampaTampa, FL · private nonprofit	$25,510	Not adjusted	Not reported	$21,000	82%
74	Taylor UniversityUpland, IN · private nonprofit	$25,471	Not adjusted	$44,149	$19,500	77%
75	Stephen F. AustinNacogdoches, TX · public	$25,292	$26,059	$39,004	$21,726	86%
76	University of Central OklahomaEdmond, OK · public	$25,268	$28,765	$44,382	$21,917	87%
77	PurdueWest Lafayette, IN · public	$25,084	$26,877	$43,184	$20,038	80%
78	Columbia College ChicagoChicago, IL · private nonprofit	$25,060	$25,071	$39,240	$27,000	108%
79	Syracuse UniversitySyracuse, NY · private nonprofit	$24,935	$23,105	Not reported	$27,000	108%
80	Binghamton UniversityVestal, NY · public	$24,377	$22,588	$58,435	$20,500	84%
81	UIUCChampaign, IL · public	$24,225	$24,235	$47,544	$23,250	96%
82	UNC WilmingtonWilmington, NC · public	$24,205	$25,661	$40,978	$27,000	112%
83	UM-FlintFlint, MI · public	$24,195	$25,146	$52,556	$27,875	115%
84	Drury UniversitySpringfield, MO · private nonprofit	$24,127	$26,567	Not reported	$23,094	96%
85	Chapman UniversityOrange, CA · private nonprofit	$23,939	Not adjusted	$60,749	Not reported	Not reported
86	Ferris StateBig Rapids, MI · public	$23,508	$24,432	$45,012	$21,500	91%
87	Full Sail UniversityWinter Park, FL · private for-profit	$23,449	Not adjusted	$31,734	$41,000	175%
88	Ohio UniversityAthens, OH · public	$23,399	$25,222	Not reported	$26,500	113%
89	Saginaw Valley StateUniversity Center, MI · public	$23,298	$24,214	$38,608	$30,432	131%
90	Champlain CollegeBurlington, VT · private nonprofit	$23,237	Not adjusted	$42,016	$26,000	112%
91	University of Puget SoundTacoma, WA · private nonprofit	$22,251	Not adjusted	Not reported	$27,000	121%
92	Cal State Long BeachLong Beach, CA · public	$21,854	$19,738	$43,603	$15,394	70%
93	UC RiversideRiverside, CA · public	$21,765	$19,658	$38,017	$20,000	92%
94	Beloit CollegeBeloit, WI · private nonprofit	$21,720	Not adjusted	$37,723	$27,000	124%
95	Northern Michigan UniversityMarquette, MI · public	$21,696	$22,549	$33,425	$24,250	112%
96	Western Michigan UniversityKalamazoo, MI · public	$21,468	$22,312	$38,111	$27,000	126%
97	Cal State San BernardinoSan Bernardino, CA · public	$20,726	$18,719	$32,348	$16,210	78%
98	SUNY College at PotsdamPotsdam, NY · public	$20,455	$18,954	$29,477	$27,000	132%
99	Brooklyn CollegeBrooklyn, NY · public	$20,242	$18,756	$38,415	$19,500	96%
100	Hamline UniversitySaint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	$20,059	$20,339	$40,394	$25,000	125%
101	Roanoke CollegeSalem, VA · private nonprofit	$19,925	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
102	Augustana CollegeRock Island, IL · private nonprofit	$19,775	$19,783	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
103	Susquehanna UniversitySelinsgrove, PA · private nonprofit	$19,753	$20,245	$43,685	$27,000	137%
104	Pratt InstituteBrooklyn, NY · private nonprofit	$18,842	$17,459	Not reported	$26,000	138%
105	Cornell CollegeMount Vernon, IA · private nonprofit	$18,241	Not adjusted	Not reported	$27,000	148%
106	Aquinas CollegeGrand Rapids, MI · private nonprofit	$17,827	Not adjusted	Not reported	$26,844	151%
107	Truman StateKirksville, MO · public	$16,569	Not adjusted	Not reported	$26,899	162%
108	SUNY Purchase CollegePurchase, NY · public	$16,556	$15,341	$32,973	$23,250	140%
109	Oberlin CollegeOberlin, OH · private nonprofit	$15,501	Not adjusted	Not reported	$26,487	171%
110	Knox CollegeGalesburg, IL · private nonprofit	$15,466	Not adjusted	$31,169	$26,976	174%

Pay after cost of living divides first-year pay by the Bureau of Economic Analysis price level of the school's state, where the US average is 100. It is shown for 71 programs where at least half of the graduates who work are working in the school's state. The other 39, whose graduates mostly work in other states or whose state has no price level, are listed last when you sort by it.

9 programs report pay but not debt, so they are ranked only by pay.

College Scorecard withholds pay for programs with too few graduates, to protect their privacy, so those programs can't be ranked.

Writing and Rhetoric (Bachelor's) programs by state

Each row is the median across the state's writing and rhetoric bachelor's programs. State names link to the full ranking of that state's programs.

#	State	Programs	Year 1 pay	Debt
1	Texas	7	$37,883	$21,412
2	Ohio	5	$31,218	$26,487
3	Washington	5	$27,832	$23,224
4	California	10	$27,681	$16,500
5	Pennsylvania	7	$27,390	$27,000
6	New York	12	$25,689	$26,000
7	Michigan	11	$24,195	$25,625

Programs in 25 more states and territories report pay, but too few to rank. A state ranking needs at least five programs that report both pay and debt.

Quick picks nationwide

Lowest median debt

Cal State LA, CA$13,500
University of Michigan, MI$13,999
UC Berkeley, CA$14,037
Cal State Long Beach, CA$15,394
Cal State San Bernardino, CA$16,210
Cal Poly Humboldt, CA$16,500
UT Arlington, TX$17,417
University of Washington, WA$17,872
Western Washington University, WA$18,064
San Francisco State, CA$18,500

Lowest debt for the pay

Only the 53 programs with their own page here are included. "Debt for the pay" is median debt divided by first-year pay.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to writing and rhetoric, largest first. Pay is the median across the US and all experience levels.

Editors

$77,920

Median pay in the US. 91,690 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 7,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $41,250Top 10%: $153,700

Writers and Authors

$76,910

Median pay in the US. 47,940 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 11,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $44,310Top 10%: $139,870

Technical Writers

$90,390

Median pay in the US. 45,500 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $57,440Top 10%: $145,270

Proofreaders and Copy Markers

$51,120

Median pay in the US. 4,580 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $34,510Top 10%: $79,290

Common questions

The median writing and rhetoric bachelor's program in the US pays its graduates $28,430 in their first year and $47,988 five years after.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid, and earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Medians are across programs, not students: each program counts once, however many graduates it has.
National medians include every program in the 50 states, DC, and US territories, including schools that have since closed. Schools with several campuses that report one combined figure are counted once.
Programs are ranked by College Scorecard median pay one year after graduation. Pay after cost of living uses the price level of the school's state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025. Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024