How much debt do Willamette University Romance languages graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $21,511, which ranks 3rd lowest of 5 Romance languages bachelor's programs in Oregon. That works out to about $228 a month over 10 years.

Is a Romance languages degree from Willamette University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 80% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 62%. Compare the cost with other Oregon programs before deciding.

Willamette University Romance Languages (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
Private nonprofit university
Salem, OR
About 11 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Willamette University Romance languages graduates earn less than graduates of most Romance languages programs nationally, $27,044 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $21,511 in federal loans, close to the national median of $22,067. Several Oregon programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$27,04417th percentile of 189 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$41,61454% more than year one

Median federal debt$21,5113rd lowest of 5 Oregon programs

Debt-to-earnings80%Oregon median 71%, national 62%

How it compares

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

	Willamette University	Oregon	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$27,044	$29,765	$34,649
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$41,614	$46,878	$54,049
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,511	$21,511	$22,067
Debt as share of first-year pay	80%	71%	62%
Programs compared		5	189

Five years out, Willamette University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $5,264 less than the Oregon median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Oregon Romance languages program

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

Willamette UniversityOther Oregon 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 54% between the first and fifth year.

Willamette University grads, year 1$27,044

Willamette University grads, year 5$41,614

All Oregon Romance languages grads, year 5$46,878

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 $228 a month, or 10.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Salem area are about 4% above the national average, so a $27,044 salary here buys what about $26,092 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 Romance languages, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$79,570

Median pay in Oregon. 11,730 people work in this job in Oregon. 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%: $49,640Top 10%: $101,310

Interpreters and Translators

$66,300

Median pay in Oregon. 660 people work in this job in Oregon. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 6,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $47,090Top 10%: $95,770

About Willamette University

Tuition and fees	$51,156 / year
Average net price after aid	$25,121 / year
Admission rate	77%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	71%
Undergraduate students	1,592

Romance Languages ranks 9th of 11 bachelor's programs at Willamette University by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($80,077), Economics ($45,993), and Political Science ($35,162).

Other Romance languages bachelor's programs near Salem

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Willamette UniversitySalem, OR · private nonprofit		$27,044	$21,511
Oregon StateCorvallis, OR · public	28 mi	$34,510	$28,758
Portland StatePortland, OR · public	43 mi	$27,500	$19,416
University of PortlandPortland, OR · private nonprofit	46 mi	$41,018	$23,499

Common questions

The median graduate earns $27,044 one year after graduating and $41,614 five years after. The median across Romance languages bachelor's programs in Oregon is $29,765.

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 Oregon 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 Romance languages 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

Romance Languages bachelor's programs in Oregon, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Romance Languages bachelor's programs in the US, ranked189 programs by pay and debt All Willamette University programs, ranked11 programs by pay and debt