How much debt do Chapman University English graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $22,750, which ranks 25th lowest of 33 English bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $241 a month over 10 years.

Is a English degree from Chapman University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 56% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 77%.

Chapman University English (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Chapman University English graduates stay in California?

Most do. 86% (18 of 21) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in English Language and Literature, General
Private nonprofit university
Orange, CA
About 19 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Chapman University English graduates earn more than graduates of most English programs nationally, $40,861 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $22,750 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,498. It is one of the higher-paying English degrees in California.

First-year earnings$40,86195th percentile of 471 programs nationally

Median federal debt$22,75025th lowest of 33 California programs

Debt-to-earnings56%California median 62%, national 77%

How it compares

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

	Chapman University	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$40,861	$25,477	$30,195
Median federal debt at graduation	$22,750	$18,176	$24,498
Debt as share of first-year pay	56%	62%	77%
Programs compared		35	471

Debt and first-year pay at every California English program

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

Chapman UniversityOther California programs

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

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $241 a month, or 7.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

86% of graduates (18 of 21) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Los Angeles area are about 14% above the national average, so a $40,861 salary here buys what about $35,980 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 English, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$101,370

Median pay in California. 99,230 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 63,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $64,600Top 10%: $132,600

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 Chapman University

Tuition and fees	$64,984 / year
Average net price after aid	$46,555 / year
Admission rate	65%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	82%
Undergraduate students	7,478

English ranks 8th of 22 bachelor's programs at Chapman University by first-year earnings. The top three are Accounting ($70,362), Computer Science ($67,125), and Business Administration ($55,657).

Other English bachelor's programs near Orange

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Chapman UniversityOrange, CA · private nonprofit		$40,861	$22,750
Cal State FullertonFullerton, CA · public	6 mi	$23,783	$13,812
UC IrvineIrvine, CA · public	10 mi	$26,021	$18,176
Biola UniversityLa Mirada, CA · private nonprofit	12 mi	$21,624	$24,500
Cal State Long BeachLong Beach, CA · public	15 mi	$22,933	$13,749
Whittier CollegeWhittier, CA · private nonprofit	16 mi	$26,317	$25,000
University of La VerneLa Verne, CA · private nonprofit	22 mi	$19,382	$27,000
Cal State LALos Angeles, CA · public	26 mi	$23,858	$14,750
California Baptist UniversityRiverside, CA · private nonprofit	26 mi	$26,123	$20,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $40,861 one year after graduating. The median across English bachelor's programs in California is $25,477.

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 English 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

English bachelor's programs in California, ranked35 programs by pay and debt English bachelor's programs in the US, ranked471 programs by pay and debt All Chapman University programs, ranked23 programs by pay and debt