Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at Bradley University

Bradley's Romance Languages program carries a debt load that's remarkably low—just $27,000, which puts it in the 5th percentile nationally for this major. That's $4,400 less than the national median and competitive even within Illinois. When similar language programs across the state suggest first-year earnings around $36,400, you're looking at a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.74, meaning graduates would owe less than a year's salary—a manageable starting point for a humanities degree.

The caveat: these earnings are estimates based on peer programs in Illinois, not tracked outcomes from Bradley specifically. The state's top performers in this field show a wide range, with Illinois State graduates earning $49,400 and others clustering in the high $30,000s. Bradley admits three-quarters of applicants and serves a student body where roughly a third receive Pell grants, suggesting it may not draw the same competition as flagship universities. The actual career trajectories of Bradley's language graduates remain unknown due to small cohort sizes.

For families weighing this investment, the low debt burden is the strongest selling point—it provides flexibility for graduate school or lower-paying early-career positions that often come with humanities degrees. However, without concrete data on where Bradley's graduates actually land, you're making a bet that their outcomes mirror the broader state average rather than falling below it.