How much debt do Reed College English graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $19,500, which ranks the lowest of 6 English bachelor's programs in Oregon. That works out to about $207 a month over 10 years.

Is a English degree from Reed College worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 123% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 77%. Compare the cost with other Oregon programs before deciding.

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

Bachelor's in English Language and Literature, General
Private nonprofit college
Portland, OR
About 18 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Reed College English graduates earn less than graduates of most English programs nationally, $15,790 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $19,500 in federal loans, less than at 80% of English programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the Oregon median of $28,328.

First-year earnings$15,7901st percentile of 471 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$30,74395% more than year one

Median federal debt$19,500The lowest of 6 Oregon programs

Debt-to-earnings123%Oregon median 91%, national 77%

How it compares

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

	Reed College	Oregon	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$15,790	$28,328	$30,195
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$30,743	$45,051	$47,348
Median federal debt at graduation	$19,500	$23,521	$24,498
Debt as share of first-year pay	123%	91%	77%
Programs compared		6	471

Five years out, Reed College graduates earn less than the national figure and about $14,308 less than the Oregon median. Several Oregon programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every Oregon English program

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

Reed CollegeOther Oregon 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 95% between the first and fifth year.

Reed College grads, year 1$15,790

Reed College grads, year 5$30,743

All Oregon English grads, year 5$45,051

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 $207 a month, or 15.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Portland area are about 5% above the national average, so a $15,790 salary here buys what about $14,978 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

$79,570

Median pay in Oregon. 11,730 people work in this job in Oregon. 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%: $49,640Top 10%: $101,310

Proofreaders and Copy Markers

$51,120

Median pay nationwide. 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 Reed College

Tuition and fees	$69,350 / year
Average net price after aid	$33,013 / year
Admission rate	25%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	71%
Undergraduate students	1,320

English ranks 6th of 6 bachelor's programs at Reed College by first-year earnings. The top three are Economics ($53,110), Psychology ($32,634), and Other Interdisciplinary Studies ($30,834).

Other English bachelor's programs near Portland

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Reed CollegePortland, OR · private nonprofit		$15,790	$19,500
Lewis & Clark CollegePortland, OR · private nonprofit	3 mi	$26,998	$25,750
Portland StatePortland, OR · public	3 mi	$27,819	$24,546
Willamette UniversitySalem, OR · private nonprofit	42 mi	$32,863	$20,250
Corban UniversitySalem, OR · private nonprofit	44 mi	$28,836	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $15,790 one year after graduating and $30,743 five years after. The median across English bachelor's programs in Oregon is $28,328.

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 Oregon 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 Oregon, ranked6 programs by pay and debt English bachelor's programs in the US, ranked471 programs by pay and debt All Reed College programs, ranked6 programs by pay and debt