How much debt do University of Michigan writing and rhetoric graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $13,999, which ranks the lowest of 10 writing and rhetoric bachelor's programs in Michigan. That works out to about $148 a month over 10 years.

Is a writing and rhetoric degree from University of Michigan worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 45% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 82%.

University of Michigan Writing and Rhetoric (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies
Public university
Ann Arbor, MI
About 27 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Michigan writing and rhetoric graduates earn about what writing and rhetoric graduates earn nationally, $31,239 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $13,999 in federal loans, less than at 96% of writing and rhetoric programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying writing and rhetoric degrees in Michigan.

First-year earnings$31,23959th percentile of 110 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$50,55962% more than year one

Median federal debt$13,999The lowest of 10 Michigan programs

Debt-to-earnings45%Michigan median 102%, national 82%

How it compares

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

	University of Michigan	Michigan	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$31,239	$24,195	$28,430
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$50,559	$38,930	$47,988
Median federal debt at graduation	$13,999	$25,625	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	45%	102%	82%
Programs compared		11	110

Five years out, University of Michigan graduates earn more than the national figure and about $11,629 more than the Michigan median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Michigan writing and rhetoric program

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

University of MichiganOther Michigan 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 62% between the first and fifth year.

University of Michigan grads, year 1$31,239

University of Michigan grads, year 5$50,559

All Michigan writing and rhetoric grads, year 5$38,930

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 $148 a month, or 5.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Ann Arbor area are about 1% above the national average, so a $31,239 salary here buys what about $30,966 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 writing and rhetoric, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Editors

$63,090

Median pay in Michigan. 1,690 people work in this job in Michigan. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 7,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $33,230Top 10%: $99,980

Writers and Authors

$76,910

Median pay nationwide. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 11,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Technical Writers

$85,270

Median pay in Michigan. 970 people work in this job in Michigan. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $57,600Top 10%: $127,070

Proofreaders and Copy Markers

$35,530

Median pay in Michigan. 140 people work in this job in Michigan. 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%: $32,180Top 10%: $63,090

About University of Michigan

In-state tuition and fees	$17,736 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$60,946 / year
Average net price after aid	$13,138 / year
Admission rate	16%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	93%
Undergraduate students	34,177

Writing and Rhetoric ranks 42nd of 56 bachelor's programs at University of Michigan by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer and Information Science ($113,634), Software and Media Applications ($98,117), and Business Administration ($93,674).

Other writing and rhetoric bachelor's programs near Ann Arbor

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of MichiganAnn Arbor, MI · public		$31,239	$13,999
Oakland UniversityRochester Hills, MI · public	38 mi	$34,464	$25,500
Michigan StateEast Lansing, MI · public	49 mi	$33,401	$25,750
UM-FlintFlint, MI · public	51 mi	$24,195	$27,875

Common questions

The median graduate earns $31,239 one year after graduating and $50,559 five years after. The median across writing and rhetoric bachelor's programs in Michigan is $24,195.

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 Michigan 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 writing and rhetoric 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

Writing and Rhetoric bachelor's programs in Michigan, ranked11 programs by pay and debt Writing and Rhetoric bachelor's programs in the US, ranked110 programs by pay and debt All University of Michigan programs, ranked56 programs by pay and debt