How much debt do Georgia State English graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,513, which ranks 11th lowest of 13 English bachelor's programs in Georgia. That works out to about $292 a month over 10 years.

Is a English degree from Georgia State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 108% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 77%. Compare the cost with other Georgia programs before deciding.

Georgia State English (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Georgia State English graduates stay in Georgia?

Most do. 86% (102 of 118) were working in Georgia one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in English Language and Literature, General
Public university
Atlanta, GA
About 75 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Georgia State English graduates earn less than graduates of most English programs nationally, $25,559 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $27,513 in federal loans, more than at 93% of English programs in the country. Several Georgia programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$25,55922nd percentile of 471 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$48,20889% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,51311th lowest of 13 Georgia programs

Debt-to-earnings108%Georgia median 96%, national 77%

How it compares

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

	Georgia State	Georgia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$25,559	$26,308	$30,195
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$48,208	$45,098	$47,348
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,513	$25,564	$24,498
Debt as share of first-year pay	108%	96%	77%
Programs compared		13	471

Five years out, Georgia State graduates earn about the national figure and about $3,110 more than the Georgia median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Georgia English program

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

Georgia StateOther Georgia 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 89% between the first and fifth year.

Georgia State grads, year 1$25,559

Georgia State grads, year 5$48,208

All Georgia English grads, year 5$45,098

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 slightly more in their first year than other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $30,952 against $20,500.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$25,882Median debt $30,952

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$24,174Median debt $20,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $292 a month, or 13.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (127 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	20–29%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–29%
In default	10% 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, 31 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $12,095.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

86% of graduates (102 of 118) were working in Georgia one year after graduating. Prices in the Atlanta area are about the same as the national average.

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

$75,480

Median pay in Georgia. 25,730 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $49,450Top 10%: $96,820

Proofreaders and Copy Markers

$49,200

Median pay in Georgia. 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%: $34,980Top 10%: $58,910

About Georgia State

In-state tuition and fees	$8,664 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$24,840 / year
Average net price after aid	$15,931 / year
Admission rate	55%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	53%
Undergraduate students	26,623

English ranks 36th of 43 bachelor's programs at Georgia State by first-year earnings. The top three are Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($78,175), Nursing ($78,165), and Computer Science ($66,803).

Other English bachelor's programs near Atlanta

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Georgia StateAtlanta, GA · public		$25,559	$27,513
Spelman CollegeAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	2 mi	$31,129	$25,564
Morehouse CollegeAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	2 mi	$24,659	$26,000
Emory UniversityAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	4 mi	$36,019	$21,000
Clayton StateMorrow, GA · public	11 mi	$22,874	$22,638
Kennesaw StateKennesaw, GA · public	23 mi	$26,801	$27,000
University of West GeorgiaCarrollton, GA · public	43 mi	$24,055	$26,657
University of North GeorgiaDahlonega, GA · public	58 mi	$35,733	$24,500
University of GeorgiaAthens, GA · public	60 mi	$23,022	$21,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $25,559 one year after graduating and $48,208 five years after. The median across English bachelor's programs in Georgia is $26,308.

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 Georgia 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 Georgia, ranked13 programs by pay and debt English bachelor's programs in the US, ranked471 programs by pay and debt All Georgia State programs, ranked46 programs by pay and debt