How much debt do Clemson University English graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $23,123, which ranks the lowest of 8 English bachelor's programs in South Carolina. That works out to about $245 a month over 10 years.

Is a English degree from Clemson University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 69% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 77%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less.

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

Q: Do Clemson University English graduates stay in South Carolina?

Most do. 71% (49 of 69) were working in South Carolina one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in English Language and Literature, General
Public university
Clemson, SC
About 49 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Clemson University English graduates earn about what English graduates earn nationally, $33,509 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,123 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,498. It is one of the higher-paying English degrees in South Carolina.

First-year earnings$33,50970th percentile of 471 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$47,64442% more than year one

Median federal debt$23,123The lowest of 8 South Carolina programs

Debt-to-earnings69%South Carolina median 86%, national 77%

How it compares

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

	Clemson University	South Carolina	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$33,509	$28,219	$30,195
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$47,644	$45,251	$47,348
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,123	$25,471	$24,498
Debt as share of first-year pay	69%	86%	77%
Programs compared		9	471

Five years out, Clemson University graduates earn about the national figure and about $2,393 more than the South Carolina median.

Debt and first-year pay at every South Carolina English program

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

Clemson UniversityOther South Carolina 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 42% between the first and fifth year.

Clemson University grads, year 1$33,509

Clemson University grads, year 5$47,644

All South Carolina English grads, year 5$45,251

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

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $14,203 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$24,959Median debt $24,652

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$39,162Median debt $22,644

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $245 a month, or 8.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (84 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. Separately, 24 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $57,119.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

71% of graduates (49 of 69) were working in South Carolina one year after graduating. Prices in the Greenville area are about 7% below the national average, so a $33,509 salary here buys what about $35,931 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

$62,580

Median pay in South Carolina. 16,080 people work in this job in South Carolina. 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%: $48,740Top 10%: $80,700

Proofreaders and Copy Markers

$42,900

Median pay in South Carolina. 40 people work in this job in South Carolina. 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%: $35,670Top 10%: $60,390

About Clemson University

In-state tuition and fees	$15,554 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$40,866 / year
Average net price after aid	$22,253 / year
Admission rate	38%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	87%
Undergraduate students	23,300

English ranks 37th of 50 bachelor's programs at Clemson University by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($77,925), Computer Engineering ($77,672), and Information Science ($76,549).

Other English bachelor's programs near Clemson

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Clemson UniversityClemson, SC · public		$33,509	$23,123
Western Carolina UniversityCullowhee, NC · public	48 mi	$29,927	$25,000
USC UpstateSpartanburg, SC · public	54 mi	$30,150	$25,000
Wofford CollegeSpartanburg, SC · private nonprofit	55 mi	$34,478	$25,941
University of GeorgiaAthens, GA · public	59 mi	$23,022	$21,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $33,509 one year after graduating and $47,644 five years after. The median across English bachelor's programs in South Carolina is $28,219.

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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina, ranked9 programs by pay and debt English bachelor's programs in the US, ranked471 programs by pay and debt All Clemson University programs, ranked50 programs by pay and debt