How much debt do Washburn University English graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $23,000, which ranks 2nd lowest of 5 English bachelor's programs in Kansas. That works out to about $244 a month over 10 years.

Is a English degree from Washburn University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 63% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 77%.

Do Washburn University English graduates stay in Kansas?

Most do. 87% (20 of 23) were working in Kansas one year after graduating.

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

Bachelor's in English Language and Literature, General
Public university
Topeka, KS
About 9 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Washburn University English graduates earn more than graduates of most English programs nationally, $36,598 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,498. It is one of the higher-paying English degrees in Kansas.

First-year earnings$36,59884th percentile of 471 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$38,8326% more than year one

Median federal debt$23,0002nd lowest of 5 Kansas programs

Debt-to-earnings63%Kansas median 84%, national 77%

How it compares

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

	Washburn University	Kansas	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$36,598	$31,364	$30,195
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$38,832	$38,832	$47,348
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,000	$23,500	$24,498
Debt as share of first-year pay	63%	84%	77%
Programs compared		5	471

Five years out, Washburn University graduates earn less than the national figure and about the same as the Kansas median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Kansas English program

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

Washburn UniversityOther Kansas 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 6% between the first and fifth year.

Washburn University grads, year 1$36,598

Washburn University grads, year 5$38,832

All Kansas English grads, year 5$38,832

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 $244 a month, or 8.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

87% of graduates (20 of 23) were working in Kansas one year after graduating. Prices in the Topeka area are about 11% below the national average, so a $36,598 salary here buys what about $41,205 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

$59,920

Median pay in Kansas. 10,860 people work in this job in Kansas. 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%: $47,630Top 10%: $76,230

Proofreaders and Copy Markers

$51,160

Median pay in Kansas. 90 people work in this job in Kansas. 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%: $24,960Top 10%: $67,760

About Washburn University

In-state tuition and fees	$9,945 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$20,949 / year
Average net price after aid	$15,280 / year
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	53%
Undergraduate students	4,562

English ranks 16th of 17 bachelor's programs at Washburn University by first-year earnings. The top three are Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($71,318), Nursing ($71,210), and Computer and Information Science ($64,361).

Other English bachelor's programs near Topeka

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Washburn UniversityTopeka, KS · public		$36,598	$23,000
University of KansasLawrence, KS · public	25 mi	$26,184	$23,500
Kansas StateManhattan, KS · public	48 mi	$31,364	$21,750
Benedictine CollegeAtchison, KS · private nonprofit	49 mi	$32,214	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $36,598 one year after graduating and $38,832 five years after. The median across English bachelor's programs in Kansas is $31,364.

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 Kansas 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 Kansas, ranked5 programs by pay and debt English bachelor's programs in the US, ranked471 programs by pay and debt All Washburn University programs, ranked27 programs by pay and debt