How much debt do UCLA English graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $14,376, which ranks 7th lowest of 33 English bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $152 a month over 10 years.

Is a English degree from UCLA worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 52% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 77%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 5% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several California programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

Q: Do UCLA English graduates stay in California?

Most do. 93% (249 of 268) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in English Language and Literature, General
Public university
Los Angeles, CA
About 221 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UCLA English graduates earn about what English graduates earn nationally, $27,889 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $14,376 in federal loans, less than at 95% of English programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying English degrees in California.

First-year earnings$27,88937th percentile of 471 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$59,794114% more than year one

Median federal debt$14,3767th lowest of 33 California programs

Debt-to-earnings52%California median 62%, national 77%

How it compares

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

	UCLA	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$27,889	$25,477	$30,195
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$59,794	$52,010	$47,348
Median federal debt at graduation	$14,376	$18,176	$24,498
Debt as share of first-year pay	52%	62%	77%
Programs compared		35	471

Five years out, UCLA graduates earn more than the national figure and about $7,784 more than the California median.

Debt and first-year pay at every California English program

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

UCLAOther California 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 114% between the first and fifth year.

UCLA grads, year 1$27,889

UCLA grads, year 5$59,794

All California English grads, year 5$52,010

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 $6,890 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$25,674Median debt $14,347

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$32,564Median debt $14,749

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $152 a month, or 6.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (305 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	15–19%
Paying down the balance	40–44%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10–14%
In default	5% 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, 78 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $15,594.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

93% of graduates (249 of 268) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Los Angeles area are about 14% above the national average, so a $27,889 salary here buys what about $24,558 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

$101,370

Median pay in California. 99,230 people work in this job in California. 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%: $64,600Top 10%: $132,600

Proofreaders and Copy Markers

$57,490

Median pay in California. 300 people work in this job in California. 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%: $34,320Top 10%: $81,500

About UCLA

In-state tuition and fees	$15,203 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$49,403 / year
Average net price after aid	$12,548 / year
Admission rate	9%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	93%
Undergraduate students	33,475

English ranks 37th of 48 bachelor's programs at UCLA by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer and Information Science ($136,099), Nursing ($94,611), and Electrical Engineering ($85,369).

Other English bachelor's programs near Los Angeles

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UCLALos Angeles, CA · public		$27,889	$14,376
Loyola Marymount UniversityLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	7 mi	$19,346	$22,565
CSUNNorthridge, CA · public	13 mi	$27,452	$18,000
Cal State LALos Angeles, CA · public	16 mi	$23,858	$14,750
Whittier CollegeWhittier, CA · private nonprofit	24 mi	$26,317	$25,000
Biola UniversityLa Mirada, CA · private nonprofit	27 mi	$21,624	$24,500
Cal State Long BeachLong Beach, CA · public	28 mi	$22,933	$13,749
Cal State FullertonFullerton, CA · public	35 mi	$23,783	$13,812
Cal State Channel IslandsCamarillo, CA · public	35 mi	$24,748	$14,961

Common questions

The median graduate earns $27,889 one year after graduating and $59,794 five years after. The median across English bachelor's programs in California is $25,477.

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 California 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 California, ranked35 programs by pay and debt English bachelor's programs in the US, ranked471 programs by pay and debt All UCLA programs, ranked48 programs by pay and debt