Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at CUNY Brooklyn College

Brooklyn College's Romance Languages program appears to track at the NY state median, with peer programs suggesting around $37,400 in first-year earnings against roughly $19,200 in debt. That 0.51 debt-to-earnings ratio looks manageable on paper—you'd owe about half of what you'd earn in your first year. Given that 56% of students here receive Pell grants, keeping debt below $20,000 for a humanities degree is no small achievement, particularly when the national median for this field sits at $22,700.

The challenge lies in what comes after graduation. Similar programs across New York show a wide earnings spread, from mid-$30s to over $50,000 at elite institutions like Columbia. Brooklyn College sits at the lower end of that range, closer to the national median of $34,500 than to top-performing programs. For a field where many graduates pursue teaching, graduate school, or pivot to communications and other adjacent careers, that first-year number represents a starting point rather than a ceiling. The real question is whether your student plans to leverage language skills into fields with stronger earning potential or views this as a stepping stone to graduate work.

The relatively low debt load provides breathing room for those next steps. Your student won't be locked into high-paying career paths just to manage loan payments, which matters in a field where passion and additional credentialing often drive long-term success more than immediate post-graduation earnings.