English Language and Literature at Connecticut College

Connecticut College's English program shows a troubling pattern: graduates earn below both the national and state medians in their first year out, landing at just $25,936—about $1,400 less than typical Connecticut English grads. That 40th percentile state ranking is particularly concerning given the school's selective profile (38% acceptance rate, 1412 average SAT). When similarly credentialed students at Yale earn $41,000 and even Central Connecticut State graduates start at $36,000, there's a real question about return on investment here.

The story improves dramatically by year four, when earnings jump to $48,237—an 86% increase that's genuinely impressive. However, this small sample size (under 30 graduates) means a few high earners could be skewing that figure upward. The debt load of $25,227 is manageable relative to that fourth-year number, but in year one, graduates are earning barely more than what they owe, which makes those first few years financially precarious.

If your child is set on English at a selective liberal arts college, understand they'll likely start behind peers at less prestigious Connecticut schools. That eventual earnings trajectory looks promising, but with such limited data, it's impossible to know if it's typical or driven by outliers who pivoted to higher-paying fields.