How much debt do University of Georgia English graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $21,500, which ranks 2nd lowest of 13 English bachelor's programs in Georgia. That works out to about $228 a month over 10 years.

Is a English degree from University of Georgia worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 93% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 77%. Compare the cost with other Georgia programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do University of Georgia English graduates stay in Georgia?

Most do. 75% (65 of 87) were working in Georgia one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in English Language and Literature, General
Public university
Athens, GA
About 95 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Georgia English graduates earn less than graduates of most English programs nationally, $23,022 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $21,500 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,498. Several Georgia programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$23,02210th percentile of 471 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$50,356119% more than year one

Median federal debt$21,5002nd lowest of 13 Georgia programs

Debt-to-earnings93%Georgia median 96%, national 77%

How it compares

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

	University of Georgia	Georgia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$23,022	$26,308	$30,195
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$50,356	$45,098	$47,348
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,500	$25,564	$24,498
Debt as share of first-year pay	93%	96%	77%
Programs compared		13	471

Five years out, University of Georgia graduates earn more than the national figure and about $5,258 more than the Georgia median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Georgia English program

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

University of GeorgiaOther Georgia 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 119% between the first and fifth year.

University of Georgia grads, year 1$23,022

University of Georgia grads, year 5$50,356

All Georgia English grads, year 5$45,098

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 $228 a month, or 11.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (100 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
In default	20% 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, 37 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $19,398.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

75% of graduates (65 of 87) were working in Georgia one year after graduating. Prices in the Athens area are about 7% below the national average, so a $23,022 salary here buys what about $24,664 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

$75,480

Median pay in Georgia. 25,730 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $49,450Top 10%: $96,820

Proofreaders and Copy Markers

$49,200

Median pay in Georgia. 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%: $34,980Top 10%: $58,910

About University of Georgia

In-state tuition and fees	$11,450 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$31,688 / year
Average net price after aid	$13,936 / year
Admission rate	38%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	90%
Undergraduate students	32,137

English ranks 59th of 65 bachelor's programs at University of Georgia by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($79,546), Management Information Systems ($78,190), and Computer Engineering ($77,882).

Other English bachelor's programs near Athens

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of GeorgiaAthens, GA · public		$23,022	$21,500
University of North GeorgiaDahlonega, GA · public	53 mi	$35,733	$24,500
Emory UniversityAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	56 mi	$36,019	$21,000
Clemson UniversityClemson, SC · public	59 mi	$33,509	$23,123
Georgia StateAtlanta, GA · public	60 mi	$25,559	$27,513

Common questions

The median graduate earns $23,022 one year after graduating and $50,356 five years after. The median across English bachelor's programs in Georgia is $26,308.

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 Georgia 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 Georgia, ranked13 programs by pay and debt English bachelor's programs in the US, ranked471 programs by pay and debt All University of Georgia programs, ranked73 programs by pay and debt