How much debt do Cal State Long Beach writing and rhetoric graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $15,394, which ranks 3rd lowest of 9 writing and rhetoric bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $163 a month over 10 years.

Is a writing and rhetoric degree from Cal State Long Beach worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 70% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 82%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several California programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Cal State Long Beach Writing and Rhetoric (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Cal State Long Beach writing and rhetoric graduates stay in California?

Most do. 91% (69 of 76) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies
Public university
Long Beach, CA

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Cal State Long Beach writing and rhetoric graduates earn less than graduates of most writing and rhetoric programs nationally, $21,854 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $15,394 in federal loans, less than at 94% of writing and rhetoric programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the California median of $27,681.

First-year earnings$21,85416th percentile of 110 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$43,603100% more than year one

Median federal debt$15,3943rd lowest of 9 California programs

Debt-to-earnings70%California median 70%, national 82%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The California and national columns are the medians across all writing and rhetoric bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Cal State Long Beach	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$21,854	$27,681	$28,430
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$43,603	$48,115	$47,988
Median federal debt at graduation	$15,394	$16,500	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	70%	70%	82%
Programs compared		10	110

Five years out, Cal State Long Beach graduates earn less than the national figure and about $4,512 less than the California median.

Debt and first-year pay at every California writing and rhetoric program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the California medians.

Cal State Long BeachOther California programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 100% between the first and fifth year.

Cal State Long Beach grads, year 1$21,854

Cal State Long Beach grads, year 5$43,603

All California writing and rhetoric grads, year 5$48,115

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $163 a month, or 9.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (100 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
In default	20% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

91% of graduates (69 of 76) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Los Angeles area are about 14% above the national average, so a $21,854 salary here buys what about $19,243 buys in a typical US city.

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 all experience levels.

Editors

$98,030

Median pay in California. 14,830 people work in this job in California. 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%: $52,510Top 10%: $173,590

Writers and Authors

$86,480

Median pay in California. 8,390 people work in this job in California. 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%: $56,730Top 10%: $193,080

Technical Writers

$104,000

Median pay in California. 5,280 people work in this job in California. 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%: $69,630Top 10%: $175,510

Proofreaders and Copy Markers

$57,490

Median pay in California. 300 people work in this job in California. 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%: $34,320Top 10%: $81,500

About Cal State Long Beach

In-state tuition and fees	$7,350 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$19,950 / year
Average net price after aid	$10,440 / year
Admission rate	46%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	69%
Undergraduate students	35,924

Writing and Rhetoric ranks 56th of 61 bachelor's programs at Cal State Long Beach by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($100,178), Construction Engineering Technology ($89,003), and Computer Engineering ($79,809).

Other writing and rhetoric bachelor's programs near Long Beach

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Cal State Long BeachLong Beach, CA · public		$21,854	$15,394
USCLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	19 mi	$26,636	$19,500
Cal State LALos Angeles, CA · public	20 mi	$28,725	$13,500
Pepperdine UniversityMalibu, CA · private nonprofit	38 mi	$33,228	$24,027
UC RiversideRiverside, CA · public	47 mi	$21,765	$20,000
Cal State San BernardinoSan Bernardino, CA · public	53 mi	$20,726	$16,210

Common questions

The median graduate earns $21,854 one year after graduating and $43,603 five years after. The median across writing and rhetoric bachelor's programs in California is $27,681.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of California comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the writing and rhetoric program.

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
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Writing and Rhetoric bachelor's programs in California, ranked10 programs by pay and debt Writing and Rhetoric bachelor's programs in the US, ranked110 programs by pay and debt All Cal State Long Beach programs, ranked61 programs by pay and debt