WhatGradsMake
Bachelor's-7% vs national median74 grads tracked

Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies at SUNY Cortland

Ranked 52nd of 107 bachelor's programs in Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies by 5-year earnings.

Median · 1 year out
$30,273
middle 50%: $24,204 – $42,063
Median · 5 years out
$53,485
middle 50%: $42,235 – $74,301
Median · 10 years out
n/a
not enough graduates to report

Salary trajectory

Median earnings vs the national median for Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (bachelor's) graduates.

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

Graduates of SUNY Cortland's bachelor's program in Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies earn a median $30,273 one year after graduating, rising to $53,485 by year five. Five years out, earnings run 7% below the national median of $57,301 for this field, ranking 52nd of 107 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
8.7 yrs
≈ $10,309 total interest

Same major at other universities

Georgia College & State University
$54,496 · 5 yrs out
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
$54,281 · 5 yrs out
Bowling Green State University
$54,177 · 5 yrs out
Old Dominion University
$54,110 · 5 yrs out
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
$54,051 · 5 yrs out
Kent State University
$53,753 · 5 yrs out
Agnes Scott College
$53,181 · 5 yrs out
Louisiana State University & Agricultural & Mechanical College
$53,107 · 5 yrs out
Ohio University
$53,003 · 5 yrs out
Missouri Western State University
$52,920 · 5 yrs out
Sweet Briar College
$52,920 · 5 yrs out
University of Minnesota Morris
$52,527 · 5 yrs out

Other majors at SUNY Cortland

Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services (Bachelor's)
$69,943 · 5 yrs out
Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's)
$69,943 · 5 yrs out
Special Education and Teaching (Bachelor's)
$69,527 · 5 yrs out
Biology, General (Bachelor's)
$67,536 · 5 yrs out
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Bachelor's)
$66,839 · 5 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's)
$66,741 · 5 yrs out
Mathematics and Statistics (Bachelor's)
$66,619 · 5 yrs out
Mathematics (Bachelor's)
$66,619 · 5 yrs out
Biological and Biomedical Sciences (Bachelor's)
$66,110 · 5 yrs out
Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language (Bachelor's)
$65,986 · 5 yrs out
Education (Master's)
$65,697 · 5 yrs out
Criminology (Bachelor's)
$65,514 · 5 yrs out

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