How much debt do University of Maryland English graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $21,500, which ranks 2nd lowest of 9 English bachelor's programs in Maryland. That works out to about $228 a month over 10 years.

Is a English degree from University of Maryland worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 59% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 77%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 10% or less.

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

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

Most do. 74% (93 of 126) were working in Maryland one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in English Language and Literature, General
Public university
College Park, MD
About 100 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Maryland English graduates earn more than graduates of most English programs nationally, $36,561 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $21,500 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,498. It is one of the higher-paying English degrees in Maryland.

First-year earnings$36,56183rd percentile of 471 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$58,41560% more than year one

Median federal debt$21,5002nd lowest of 9 Maryland programs

Debt-to-earnings59%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.

	University of Maryland	Maryland	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$36,561	$35,283	$30,195
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$58,415	$50,536	$47,348
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,500	$23,156	$24,498
Debt as share of first-year pay	59%	68%	77%
Programs compared		9	471

Five years out, University of Maryland graduates earn more than the national figure and about $7,879 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.

University of MarylandOther 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 60% between the first and fifth year.

University of Maryland grads, year 1$36,561

University of Maryland grads, year 5$58,415

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 $13,785 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$31,311Median debt $24,979

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$45,096Median debt $19,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $228 a month, or 7.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (111 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20–29%
Paying down the balance	20–29%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10–19%
In default	10% 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, 35 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $33,945.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

74% of graduates (93 of 126) were working in Maryland one year after graduating. Prices in the Washington area are about 9% above the national average, so a $36,561 salary here buys what about $33,578 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 University of Maryland

In-state tuition and fees	$11,809 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$41,186 / year
Average net price after aid	$15,678 / year
Admission rate	45%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	89%
Undergraduate students	30,760

English ranks 37th of 51 bachelor's programs at University of Maryland by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($99,756), Computer Engineering ($95,847), and Electrical Engineering ($85,500).

Other English bachelor's programs near College Park

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of MarylandCollege Park, MD · public		$36,561	$21,500
UMGCAdelphi, MD · public	7 mi	$35,630	$24,062
George MasonFairfax, VA · public	22 mi	$33,173	$22,502
UMBCBaltimore, MD · public	22 mi	$27,547	$19,500
Loyola University MarylandBaltimore, MD · private nonprofit	30 mi	$30,949	$27,000
Towson UniversityTowson, MD · public	33 mi	$39,250	$21,500
Goucher CollegeBaltimore, MD · private nonprofit	35 mi	$32,545	$26,000
McDaniel CollegeWestminster, MD · private nonprofit	41 mi	$35,793	$22,250
University of Mary WashingtonFredericksburg, VA · public	55 mi	$30,540	$23,990

Common questions

The median graduate earns $36,561 one year after graduating and $58,415 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 University of Maryland programs, ranked51 programs by pay and debt