How much debt do Kent State English graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,000, which ranks 9th lowest of 18 English bachelor's programs in Ohio. That works out to about $276 a month over 10 years.

Is a English degree from Kent State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 116% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 77%. Compare the cost with other Ohio programs before deciding.

Do Kent State English graduates stay in Ohio?

Most do. 90% (78 of 87) were working in Ohio one year after graduating.

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

Bachelor's in English Language and Literature, General
Public university
Kent, OH
About 63 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Kent State English graduates earn less than graduates of most English programs nationally, $22,318 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,498. Several Ohio programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$22,3188th percentile of 471 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$36,87065% more than year one

Median federal debt$26,0009th lowest of 18 Ohio programs

Debt-to-earnings116%Ohio median 93%, national 77%

How it compares

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

	Kent State	Ohio	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$22,318	$27,355	$30,195
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$36,870	$44,320	$47,348
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,000	$26,000	$24,498
Debt as share of first-year pay	116%	93%	77%
Programs compared		18	471

Five years out, Kent State graduates earn less than the national figure and about $7,450 less than the Ohio median. Several Ohio programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every Ohio English program

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

Kent StateOther Ohio 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.

Kent State grads, year 1$22,318

Kent State grads, year 5$36,870

All Ohio English grads, year 5$44,320

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 $4,528 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$20,725Median debt $28,750

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$25,253Median debt $25,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $276 a month, or 14.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (107 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	20–29%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10–19%
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, 22 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $24,480.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

90% of graduates (78 of 87) were working in Ohio one year after graduating. Prices in the Akron area are about 7% below the national average, so a $22,318 salary here buys what about $23,903 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

$78,800

Median pay in Ohio. 49,540 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $48,370Top 10%: $103,150

Proofreaders and Copy Markers

$55,560

Median pay in Ohio. 100 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $29,670Top 10%: $71,980

About Kent State

In-state tuition and fees	$13,232 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$23,082 / year
Average net price after aid	$20,787 / year
Admission rate	86%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	64%
Undergraduate students	19,320

English ranks 55th of 56 bachelor's programs at Kent State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($66,990), Construction Management ($64,652), and Computer Science ($60,051).

Other English bachelor's programs near Kent

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Kent StateKent, OH · public		$22,318	$26,000
University of AkronAkron, OH · public	10 mi	$23,923	$28,250
John Carroll UniversityUniversity Heights, OH · private nonprofit	26 mi	$29,095	$26,188
Cleveland StateCleveland, OH · public	30 mi	$28,649	$25,831
Baldwin Wallace UniversityBerea, OH · private nonprofit	31 mi	$26,760	$27,000
Youngstown StateYoungstown, OH · public	36 mi	$22,831	$28,000
College of WoosterWooster, OH · private nonprofit	39 mi	$30,746	$26,717
Oberlin CollegeOberlin, OH · private nonprofit	47 mi	$19,734	$26,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $22,318 one year after graduating and $36,870 five years after. The median across English bachelor's programs in Ohio is $27,355.

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 Ohio 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 Ohio, ranked18 programs by pay and debt English bachelor's programs in the US, ranked471 programs by pay and debt All Kent State programs, ranked66 programs by pay and debt