Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies at Liberty University

Similar Rhetoric and Composition programs in Virginia suggest first-year earnings around $35,700, which would put Liberty's graduates slightly ahead of the national median for this degree but on par with state peers. With estimated debt of $26,000, the 0.73 debt-to-earnings ratio sits in workable territory—though graduates would be looking at roughly three-quarters of their first-year salary dedicated to paying down loans if they followed standard repayment schedules.

The concerning factor here is what these peer programs reveal: George Mason's writing graduates earn $40,000 while Roanoke's make barely $20,000, showing this field's outcomes vary dramatically even within Virginia. Liberty's open admission policy (99% acceptance rate) and substantial Pell enrollment (39%) suggest the program serves students who may need immediate post-graduation income, not a prolonged job search to find that higher-paying writing position.

For a bachelor's degree that typically leads to entry-level writing, editing, or communications roles, comparable programs produce earnings that make the debt serviceable but not comfortable. If your child has specific career goals—corporate communications over freelance writing, for instance—you'll want to verify whether Liberty's alumni actually secure those positions, since the suppressed data here means we're working with informed guesses rather than this program's track record.