English Language and Literature at Carleton College

The small sample size here demands caution, but Carleton's English program shows first-year earnings ($20,780) that trail not just elite competitors but nearly every Minnesota school offering this major. That's $8,700 below the state median and less than two-thirds what graduates earn at University of Minnesota-Duluth. For a highly selective college (22% admission rate, 1491 SAT average) that draws academically exceptional students, these outcomes rank in just the 25th percentile statewide—meaning three-quarters of Minnesota English programs report better initial earnings despite serving less credentialed students.

The debt load of $21,167 is actually manageable relative to earnings, keeping the ratio just over 1.0. But context matters: you're likely paying premium tuition at a selective private college for outcomes that underperform state universities. The 5th percentile national ranking reinforces that this isn't a Minnesota-specific pattern. Whether these figures reflect Carleton graduates pursuing graduate school, nonprofit work, or simply the limitations of a small data sample is impossible to determine from these numbers alone.

If your child is set on Carleton for its academic environment and liberal arts experience, understand you're not buying premium career outcomes in English—at least not in year one. The investment case depends entirely on longer-term earnings growth and non-financial benefits that this data can't capture.