University of Washington Writing and Rhetoric (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies
- Public university
- Seattle, WA
- About 36 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
University of Washington writing and rhetoric graduates earn about what writing and rhetoric graduates earn nationally, $29,758 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $17,872 in federal loans, less than at 90% of writing and rhetoric programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying writing and rhetoric degrees in Washington.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Washington and national columns are the medians across all writing and rhetoric bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, University of Washington graduates earn less than the national figure but about $2,046 more than the Washington median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Washington writing and rhetoric program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Washington medians.
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 42% between the first and fifth year.
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 $1,630 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $189 a month, or 7.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
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
89% of graduates (47 of 53) were working in Washington one year after graduating. Prices in the Seattle area are about 11% above the national average, so a $29,758 salary here buys what about $26,777 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
$77,850Median pay in Washington. 1,860 people work in this job in Washington. 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.
Writers and Authors
$85,700Median pay in Washington. 770 people work in this job in Washington. 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
$104,070Median pay in Washington. 1,620 people work in this job in Washington. 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.
Proofreaders and Copy Markers
$53,890Median pay in Washington. 60 people work in this job in Washington. 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 Washington
Writing and Rhetoric ranks 65th of 73 bachelor's programs at University of Washington by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($141,588), Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($135,384), and Computer Science ($128,887).
Other writing and rhetoric bachelor's programs near Seattle
Common questions
The median graduate earns $29,758 one year after graduating and $42,372 five years after. The median across writing and rhetoric bachelor's programs in Washington is $27,832.
The median federal loan balance is $17,872, which ranks the lowest of 5 writing and rhetoric bachelor's programs in Washington. That works out to about $189 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 60% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 82%.
Most do. 89% (47 of 53) were working in Washington one year after graduating.
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 Washington 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