Is a Romance languages degree from Franklin and Marshall College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 42% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 62%.

Franklin and Marshall College Romance Languages (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Franklin and Marshall College Romance languages graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $19,250, which ranks 2nd lowest of 12 Romance languages bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania. That works out to about $204 a month over 10 years.

Bachelor's in Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
Private nonprofit college
Lancaster, PA
About 8 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Franklin and Marshall College Romance languages graduates earn more than graduates of most Romance languages programs nationally, $45,300 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $19,250 in federal loans, close to the national median of $22,067. It is one of the higher-paying Romance languages degrees in Pennsylvania.

First-year earnings$45,30090th percentile of 189 programs nationally

Median federal debt$19,2502nd lowest of 12 Pennsylvania programs

Debt-to-earnings42%Pennsylvania median 65%, national 62%

How it compares

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

	Franklin and Marshall College	Pennsylvania	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$45,300	$38,534	$34,649
Median federal debt at graduation	$19,250	$26,233	$22,067
Debt as share of first-year pay	42%	65%	62%
Programs compared		12	189

Debt and first-year pay at every Pennsylvania Romance languages program

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

Franklin and Marshall CollegeOther Pennsylvania 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 $204 a month, or 5.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Lancaster area are about 2% below the national average, so a $45,300 salary here buys what about $46,104 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 Romance languages, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$78,800

Median pay in Pennsylvania. 52,240 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. 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%: $51,440Top 10%: $102,360

Interpreters and Translators

$57,040

Median pay in Pennsylvania. 1,420 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 6,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $38,580Top 10%: $104,120

About Franklin and Marshall College

Tuition and fees	$70,794 / year
Average net price after aid	$36,425 / year
Admission rate	28%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	84%
Undergraduate students	1,799

Romance Languages ranks 4th of 11 bachelor's programs at Franklin and Marshall College by first-year earnings. The top three are Business Administration ($64,664), Economics ($52,801), and Political Science ($45,928).

Other Romance languages bachelor's programs near Lancaster

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Franklin and Marshall CollegeLancaster, PA · private nonprofit		$45,300	$19,250
Dickinson CollegeCarlisle, PA · private nonprofit	48 mi	$39,694	$19,000
Gettysburg CollegeGettysburg, PA · private nonprofit	51 mi	$44,068	$26,000
Villanova UniversityVillanova, PA · private nonprofit	52 mi	$45,088	$27,000
Susquehanna UniversitySelinsgrove, PA · private nonprofit	59 mi	$23,699	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $45,300 one year after graduating. The median across Romance languages bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania is $38,534.

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 Pennsylvania 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 Romance languages 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

Romance Languages bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania, ranked12 programs by pay and debt Romance Languages bachelor's programs in the US, ranked189 programs by pay and debt All Franklin and Marshall College programs, ranked11 programs by pay and debt