WhatGradsMake
Bachelor's-2% vs national median230 grads tracked

English Language and Literature/Letters at Macalester College

Ranked 131st of 382 bachelor's programs in English Language and Literature/Letters by 5-year earnings.

Median · 1 year out
$35,325
middle 50%: $25,335 – $49,946
Median · 5 years out
$52,083
middle 50%: $37,918 – $66,884
Median · 10 years out
$72,966
middle 50%: $48,487 – $104,709

Salary trajectory

Median earnings vs the national median for English Language and Literature/Letters (bachelor's) graduates.

This program (median)National median, same major & degreeMiddle 50% of graduates

Graduates of Macalester College's bachelor's program in English Language and Literature/Letters earn a median $35,325 one year after graduating, rising to $72,966 by year ten. Five years out, earnings run 2% below the national median of $53,081 for this field, ranking 131st of 382 reporting programs.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau PSEO, release V4.13.0 2025Q4. Earnings are for graduates working in covered states; figures are medians in nominal dollars.

Will the degree pay for itself?

Drag the sliders — payback uses this program's actual salary curve.

Assumes a 6.5% APR loan and this program's median salary trajectory (interpolated between years 1, 5 and 10).

Paid off in
7.9 yrs
≈ $9,548 total interest

Same major at other universities

Bridgewater State University
$52,573 · 5 yrs out
Agnes Scott College
$52,447 · 5 yrs out
Presbyterian College
$52,435 · 5 yrs out
Dominican University
$52,387 · 5 yrs out
University of New Haven
$52,354 · 5 yrs out
Iowa State University of Science & Technology
$52,165 · 5 yrs out
University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse
$52,071 · 5 yrs out
University of Iowa
$52,045 · 5 yrs out
Concordia University
$52,031 · 5 yrs out
North Carolina State University
$52,016 · 5 yrs out
Furman University
$51,981 · 5 yrs out
Metropolitan State University of Denver
$51,980 · 5 yrs out

Other majors at Macalester College

Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Bachelor's)
$121,630 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's)
$121,630 · 5 yrs out
Mathematics and Statistics (Bachelor's)
$99,879 · 5 yrs out
Mathematics (Bachelor's)
$99,879 · 5 yrs out
Economics (Bachelor's)
$94,989 · 5 yrs out
Physics (Bachelor's)
$77,901 · 5 yrs out
Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor's)
$68,022 · 5 yrs out
Social Sciences (Bachelor's)
$64,005 · 5 yrs out
Physical Sciences (Bachelor's)
$61,737 · 5 yrs out
Education (Bachelor's)
$61,545 · 5 yrs out
Education, General (Bachelor's)
$61,545 · 5 yrs out
International/Globalization Studies (Bachelor's)
$58,734 · 5 yrs out

Related fields of study

English Language and Literature, General
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English Language and Literature/Letters, Other
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Literature
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Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies
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