Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at Concordia University-Wisconsin

A Romance Languages degree from Concordia-Wisconsin comes with estimated debt of $25,490—slightly above the national median for this field—while comparable programs in Wisconsin suggest first-year earnings around $37,018. That debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.69 means graduates would owe roughly eight months' salary, which falls within manageable territory but leaves little margin for error given the modest starting salary.

The earnings estimate places this program right at Wisconsin's median for language degrees, but several state institutions with reported outcomes show their graduates earning $4,000-6,000 more annually. University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and Whitewater both report earnings above $42,000 for their language graduates—a meaningful difference when you're servicing $25,000 in loans. Nationally, these estimated earnings do slightly outpace the typical $34,497, though that's comparing peer program estimates to actual national data.

The real question for anxious parents is whether the debt burden makes sense for a field where earnings start modest and career paths often require geographic flexibility or graduate education. With these estimates suggesting an affordable but not impressive debt load paired with below-average Wisconsin earnings compared to UW system alternatives, families should understand they're likely paying private-school prices for outcomes that peer programs suggest may not justify the premium, especially when stronger-performing public options exist in-state.