How much debt do University of Northern Colorado English graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $24,557, which ranks 6th lowest of 10 English bachelor's programs in Colorado. That works out to about $260 a month over 10 years.

Is a English degree from University of Northern Colorado worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 80% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 77%. Compare the cost with other Colorado programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do University of Northern Colorado English graduates stay in Colorado?

Most do. 92% (49 of 53) were working in Colorado one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in English Language and Literature, General
Public university
Greeley, CO
About 22 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Northern Colorado English graduates earn about what English graduates earn nationally, $30,689 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $24,557 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,498. Several Colorado programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$30,68952nd percentile of 471 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$47,52355% more than year one

Median federal debt$24,5576th lowest of 10 Colorado programs

Debt-to-earnings80%Colorado median 73%, national 77%

How it compares

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

	University of Northern Colorado	Colorado	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$30,689	$31,257	$30,195
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$47,523	$43,163	$47,348
Median federal debt at graduation	$24,557	$24,500	$24,498
Debt as share of first-year pay	80%	73%	77%
Programs compared		10	471

Five years out, University of Northern Colorado graduates earn about the national figure and about $4,360 more than the Colorado median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Colorado English program

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

University of Northern ColoradoOther Colorado 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 55% between the first and fifth year.

University of Northern Colorado grads, year 1$30,689

University of Northern Colorado grads, year 5$47,523

All Colorado English grads, year 5$43,163

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 $260 a month, or 10.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (50 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. Separately, 23 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $22,660.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

92% of graduates (49 of 53) were working in Colorado one year after graduating. Prices in the Greeley area are about the same as the national average.

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

$72,900

Median pay in Colorado. 18,310 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $48,970Top 10%: $101,300

Proofreaders and Copy Markers

$51,120

Median pay nationwide. 120 people work in this job in Colorado. 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.

About University of Northern Colorado

In-state tuition and fees	$12,416 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$27,266 / year
Average net price after aid	$17,760 / year
Admission rate	86%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	51%
Undergraduate students	5,598

English ranks 26th of 32 bachelor's programs at University of Northern Colorado by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($74,308), Computer Engineering ($56,557), and Business Administration ($50,739).

Other English bachelor's programs near Greeley

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of Northern ColoradoGreeley, CO · public		$30,689	$24,557
Colorado StateFort Collins, CO · public	23 mi	$27,549	$20,500
CU BoulderBoulder, CO · public	41 mi	$31,825	$19,522
CU DenverDenver, CO · public	47 mi	$35,364	$25,586
Metropolitan State University of DenverDenver, CO · public	49 mi	$35,487	$30,000
University of DenverDenver, CO · private nonprofit	53 mi	$30,246	$25,678

Common questions

The median graduate earns $30,689 one year after graduating and $47,523 five years after. The median across English bachelor's programs in Colorado is $31,257.

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 Colorado 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 Colorado, ranked10 programs by pay and debt English bachelor's programs in the US, ranked471 programs by pay and debt All University of Northern Colorado programs, ranked32 programs by pay and debt