How much debt do Saint Louis University English graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,546, which ranks 6th lowest of 7 English bachelor's programs in Missouri. That works out to about $281 a month over 10 years.

Is a English degree from Saint Louis University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 78% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 77%. Compare the cost with other Missouri programs before deciding.

Saint Louis University English (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in English Language and Literature, General
Private nonprofit university
Saint Louis, MO
About 23 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Saint Louis University English graduates earn about what English graduates earn nationally, $33,893 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $26,546 in federal loans, more than at 75% of English programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying English degrees in Missouri.

First-year earnings$33,89372nd percentile of 471 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$45,37334% more than year one

Median federal debt$26,5466th lowest of 7 Missouri programs

Debt-to-earnings78%Missouri median 79%, national 77%

How it compares

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

	Saint Louis University	Missouri	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$33,893	$29,001	$30,195
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$45,373	$44,015	$47,348
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,546	$24,125	$24,498
Debt as share of first-year pay	78%	79%	77%
Programs compared		7	471

Five years out, Saint Louis University graduates earn less than the national figure but about $1,358 more than the Missouri median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Missouri English program

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

Saint Louis UniversityOther Missouri 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 34% between the first and fifth year.

Saint Louis University grads, year 1$33,893

Saint Louis University grads, year 5$45,373

All Missouri English grads, year 5$44,015

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 $281 a month, or 9.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the St. Louis area are about 5% below the national average, so a $33,893 salary here buys what about $35,644 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

$59,240

Median pay in Missouri. 24,380 people work in this job in Missouri. 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%: $40,540Top 10%: $79,300

Proofreaders and Copy Markers

$52,920

Median pay in Missouri. 110 people work in this job in Missouri. 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%: $28,600Top 10%: $69,850

About Saint Louis University

Tuition and fees	$55,760 / year
Average net price after aid	$24,398 / year
Admission rate	75%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	80%
Undergraduate students	7,267

English ranks 25th of 30 bachelor's programs at Saint Louis University by first-year earnings. The top three are Aerospace Engineering ($75,122), Mechanical Engineering ($74,209), and Nursing ($70,226).

Other English bachelor's programs near Saint Louis

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Saint Louis UniversitySaint Louis, MO · private nonprofit		$33,893	$26,546
Southern Illinois University EdwardsvilleEdwardsville, IL · public	17 mi	$31,420	$25,250

Common questions

The median graduate earns $33,893 one year after graduating and $45,373 five years after. The median across English bachelor's programs in Missouri is $29,001.

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 Missouri 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 Missouri, ranked7 programs by pay and debt English bachelor's programs in the US, ranked471 programs by pay and debt All Saint Louis University programs, ranked30 programs by pay and debt