Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at Marian University

Marian's Romance Languages program sits in a precarious spot—with estimated debt around $27,000 and first-year earnings that similar Indiana programs suggest hover near $38,000, graduates face nearly three-quarters of their annual salary in loans. That's manageable on paper, but it assumes steady employment in a field where language majors often need graduate work or pivot to unrelated careers to reach financial stability.

What makes this harder to evaluate is that we're comparing estimates against Indiana's stronger language programs, where actual reported outcomes range from Notre Dame's $46,000 down to IU-Bloomington's $33,000. If Marian's outcomes track closer to the lower end—entirely possible given its 95% admission rate and different student profile—the debt burden becomes more worrying. The estimated $27,000 also exceeds both the state median ($21,700) and national benchmark ($22,700) for this major, suggesting either higher borrowing needs or less robust financial aid.

For parents, this means your child would likely need a clear plan beyond the bachelor's degree itself—whether that's teaching certification, graduate school, or transferable skills that open doors in business or nonprofit work. Without knowing this specific program's actual placement rates or career outcomes, you're betting on your student's ability to leverage a language degree creatively in a competitive job market, while carrying slightly more debt than their peers at peer institutions.