How much debt do University of Cincinnati English graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $22,625, which ranks 3rd lowest of 18 English bachelor's programs in Ohio. That works out to about $240 a month over 10 years.

Is a English degree from University of Cincinnati worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 73% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 77%.

Do University of Cincinnati English graduates stay in Ohio?

Most do. 79% (46 of 58) were working in Ohio one year after graduating.

University of Cincinnati English (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in English Language and Literature, General
Public university
Cincinnati, OH

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Cincinnati English graduates earn about what English graduates earn nationally, $30,946 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $22,625 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,498. It is one of the higher-paying English degrees in Ohio.

First-year earnings$30,94654th percentile of 471 programs nationally

Median federal debt$22,6253rd lowest of 18 Ohio programs

Debt-to-earnings73%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.

	University of Cincinnati	Ohio	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$30,946	$27,355	$30,195
Median federal debt at graduation	$22,625	$26,000	$24,498
Debt as share of first-year pay	73%	93%	77%
Programs compared		18	471

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.

University of CincinnatiOther Ohio programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

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 $25,157 against $17,867.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$31,167Median debt $25,157

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$30,364Median debt $17,867

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $240 a month, or 9.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (27 borrowers)	Share
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%

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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

79% of graduates (46 of 58) were working in Ohio one year after graduating. Prices in the Cincinnati area are about 5% below the national average, so a $30,946 salary here buys what about $32,448 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 University of Cincinnati

In-state tuition and fees	$13,976 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$29,310 / year
Average net price after aid	$25,648 / year
Admission rate	85%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	75%
Undergraduate students	29,882

English ranks 53rd of 59 bachelor's programs at University of Cincinnati by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($83,489), Chemical Engineering ($82,372), and Electrical Engineering ($80,045).

Other English bachelor's programs near Cincinnati

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of CincinnatiCincinnati, OH · public		$30,946	$22,625
Xavier UniversityCincinnati, OH · private nonprofit	2 mi	$25,683	$26,798
Northern Kentucky UniversityHighland Heights, KY · public	8 mi	$31,926	$24,585
Miami UniversityOxford, OH · public	29 mi	$27,356	$27,000
University of DaytonDayton, OH · private nonprofit	46 mi	$30,063	$24,398
Wright StateDayton, OH · public	51 mi	$33,011	$24,140
IU EastRichmond, IN · public	55 mi	$28,920	$26,991

Common questions

The median graduate earns $30,946 one year after graduating. 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 University of Cincinnati programs, ranked74 programs by pay and debt