Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at Boston University

Boston University's Romance Languages program carries an estimated $21,414 in debt—meaningfully lower than both the state median ($25,358) and national benchmark ($22,722) for this degree. That's the good news. The challenge comes when you look at what similar Massachusetts programs produce in early earnings: around $40,405 in the first year, rising to $57,180 by year four. With a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.53, graduates would need roughly half their first year's salary to cover their loans—manageable, but only if those language skills translate into actual employment.

The real question is opportunity cost. At an 11% admission rate with 1473 average SATs, BU attracts students who could likely access higher-earning majors at the same institution or comparable schools. While the $57,180 four-year mark exceeds what peer Massachusetts programs typically deliver at that stage, some in-state competitors—Bentley at $66,917, Holy Cross at $52,210—show stronger early outcomes. The national context matters too: this field rarely produces high initial salaries regardless of school prestige, with even top programs clustering between $40,000-$50,000 in early years.

If your child is genuinely passionate about language and culture—and has a clear plan for leveraging those skills professionally—the relatively contained debt makes this viable. But if Romance Languages is a default "interesting major" without career strategy, BU's selectivity suggests they could pursue fields with clearer financial returns.