How much debt do Fort Lewis College English graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $16,250, which ranks the lowest of 10 English bachelor's programs in Colorado. That works out to about $172 a month over 10 years.

Is a English degree from Fort Lewis College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 63% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 77%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Colorado programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Fort Lewis College English (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in English Language and Literature, General
Public college
Durango, CO
About 25 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Fort Lewis College English graduates earn less than graduates of most English programs nationally, $25,718 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $16,250 in federal loans, less than at 91% of English programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the Colorado median of $31,257.

First-year earnings$25,71823rd percentile of 471 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$42,50465% more than year one

Median federal debt$16,250The lowest of 10 Colorado programs

Debt-to-earnings63%Colorado median 73%, national 77%

How it compares

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

	Fort Lewis College	Colorado	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$25,718	$31,257	$30,195
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$42,504	$43,163	$47,348
Median federal debt at graduation	$16,250	$24,500	$24,498
Debt as share of first-year pay	63%	73%	77%
Programs compared		10	471

Five years out, Fort Lewis College graduates earn less than the national figure and about the same as the Colorado median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Colorado English program

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

Fort Lewis CollegeOther Colorado 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 65% between the first and fifth year.

Fort Lewis College grads, year 1$25,718

Fort Lewis College grads, year 5$42,504

All Colorado English grads, year 5$43,163

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 $172 a month, or 8.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the parts of Colorado outside metro areas are about 2% below the national average, so a $25,718 salary here buys what about $26,376 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

$72,900

Median pay in Colorado. 18,310 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $48,970Top 10%: $101,300

Proofreaders and Copy Markers

$51,120

Median pay nationwide. 120 people work in this job in Colorado. 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.

About Fort Lewis College

In-state tuition and fees	$9,958 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$21,526 / year
Average net price after aid	$17,296 / year
Admission rate	77%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	36%
Undergraduate students	3,079

English ranks 10th of 14 bachelor's programs at Fort Lewis College by first-year earnings. The top three are Engineering ($50,985), Accounting ($45,693), and Public Health ($37,498).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $25,718 one year after graduating and $42,504 five years after. The median across English bachelor's programs in Colorado is $31,257.

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 Colorado 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 Colorado, ranked10 programs by pay and debt English bachelor's programs in the US, ranked471 programs by pay and debt All Fort Lewis College programs, ranked14 programs by pay and debt