How much debt do UMBC English graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $19,500, which ranks the lowest of 9 English bachelor's programs in Maryland. That works out to about $207 a month over 10 years.

Is a English degree from UMBC worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 71% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 77%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Maryland programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

Q: Do UMBC English graduates stay in Maryland?

Most do. 90% (43 of 48) were working in Maryland one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in English Language and Literature, General
Public university
Baltimore, MD
About 36 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UMBC English graduates earn about what English graduates earn nationally, $27,547 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. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying English degrees in Maryland.

First-year earnings$27,54735th percentile of 471 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$55,284101% more than year one

Median federal debt$19,500The lowest of 9 Maryland programs

Debt-to-earnings71%Maryland median 68%, national 77%

How it compares

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

	UMBC	Maryland	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$27,547	$35,283	$30,195
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$55,284	$50,536	$47,348
Median federal debt at graduation	$19,500	$23,156	$24,498
Debt as share of first-year pay	71%	68%	77%
Programs compared		9	471

Five years out, UMBC graduates earn more than the national figure and about $4,748 more than the Maryland median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Maryland English program

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

UMBCOther Maryland 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 101% between the first and fifth year.

UMBC grads, year 1$27,547

UMBC grads, year 5$55,284

All Maryland English grads, year 5$50,536

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 $10,500 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$20,687Median debt $16,423

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$31,187Median debt $20,002

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $207 a month, or 9.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (46 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	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

90% of graduates (43 of 48) were working in Maryland one year after graduating. Prices in the Baltimore area are about 4% above the national average, so a $27,547 salary here buys what about $26,364 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

$78,670

Median pay in Maryland. 16,640 people work in this job in Maryland. 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%: $58,150Top 10%: $102,690

Proofreaders and Copy Markers

$53,920

Median pay in Maryland. 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%: $42,900Top 10%: $65,530

About UMBC

In-state tuition and fees	$13,256 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$31,275 / year
Average net price after aid	$16,467 / year
Admission rate	72%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	70%
Undergraduate students	10,701

English ranks 22nd of 26 bachelor's programs at UMBC by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($86,444), Computer Science ($83,684), and Mechanical Engineering ($71,519).

Other English bachelor's programs near Baltimore

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UMBCBaltimore, MD · public		$27,547	$19,500
Loyola University MarylandBaltimore, MD · private nonprofit	8 mi	$30,949	$27,000
Towson UniversityTowson, MD · public	11 mi	$39,250	$21,500
Goucher CollegeBaltimore, MD · private nonprofit	12 mi	$32,545	$26,000
University of MarylandCollege Park, MD · public	22 mi	$36,561	$21,500
UMGCAdelphi, MD · public	25 mi	$35,630	$24,062
McDaniel CollegeWestminster, MD · private nonprofit	27 mi	$35,793	$22,250
George MasonFairfax, VA · public	43 mi	$33,173	$22,502
Gettysburg CollegeGettysburg, PA · private nonprofit	49 mi	$40,601	$26,724

Common questions

The median graduate earns $27,547 one year after graduating and $55,284 five years after. The median across English bachelor's programs in Maryland is $35,283.

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 Maryland 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 Maryland, ranked9 programs by pay and debt English bachelor's programs in the US, ranked471 programs by pay and debt All UMBC programs, ranked27 programs by pay and debt