Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at Drew University

Drew's Romance Languages program leaves graduates earning significantly below both state and national benchmarks, with first-year earnings of $27,823 trailing the New Jersey median by $4,400 and placing in just the 21st percentile nationally. Within New Jersey, this program ranks middle-of-the-pack at the 40th percentile—but that still means graduates from nearby public universities like Montclair State ($47,487) and Kean ($42,750) earn nearly double what Drew graduates make initially. The $27,000 debt load, while lower than the national median, creates a nearly 1:1 debt-to-earnings ratio that makes the first few years after graduation financially tight.

The 71% earnings jump to $47,695 by year four offers some relief, showing that Romance language skills eventually translate to better opportunities. However, this still lags behind where graduates from competitor programs start. The small sample size here is critical—with fewer than 30 graduates in the data, a few outliers could skew these numbers significantly in either direction.

For a family paying private school tuition, these outcomes are difficult to justify when New Jersey's public universities deliver substantially stronger returns in the same field. Unless your child has specific reasons to attend Drew beyond the language program itself, you're likely overpaying for results that don't match the investment.