Linguistic, Comparative, at Iowa State University

Iowa State's linguistics program starts graduates at just $25,065—roughly $2,400 below the national median for this major—but the debt picture offers a silver lining. At $24,793, graduates carry about $4,000 less debt than the national median, placing this program in the 20th percentile nationally for borrowing. That near-even debt-to-earnings ratio (0.99) means graduates can theoretically pay off their loans in a year if they devote all income to it, though that's obviously not realistic. Among Iowa's four schools offering this major, ISU lands squarely at the state median for earnings while keeping debt slightly lower than the typical $25,896.

The trajectory shows modest improvement—earnings climb 9% to $27,198 by year four—but linguistics grads here should expect several years of tight budgets post-graduation. These are below-average starting salaries even for this field, which isn't known for high pay. The very small sample size (under 30 graduates) means these numbers could shift significantly with just a few outliers, so treat them as directional rather than definitive.

For families, the calculation is straightforward: if your student is passionate about linguistics and plans to pursue graduate study (common in this field), the manageable debt level makes ISU a reasonable choice despite the modest earnings. But if they're uncertain about their path or expecting to enter the workforce directly, the below-national-average starting salary deserves serious consideration against other majors or schools.