Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at Pace University

A $37,000 starting salary—based on what similar Romance language programs across New York typically produce—leaves little room for error when you're carrying nearly $20,000 in debt. That 0.52 debt-to-earnings ratio sits in manageable territory, but the underlying numbers tell a tighter story than the ratio suggests. You're looking at monthly loan payments that could consume 6-7% of take-home pay for a decade, which matters significantly more at this income level than it would for engineering graduates earning twice as much.

The comparison to other New York programs is particularly instructive here. Columbia and Colgate graduates in this field start around $54,000—nearly 45% higher than what Pace's peer programs suggest. Even public options like CUNY York and Stony Brook show stronger early earnings. Pace's estimated figures align with the state median, meaning this isn't an unusually weak outcome for the field, but it does highlight how much the institutional name matters in liberal arts. The university's 77% admission rate and modest test scores suggest it's pulling from a different applicant pool than the top performers.

For families weighing this investment, the central question is whether your child has a clear post-graduation plan that leverages language skills into a viable career path—translation, international business, teaching certification, or graduate school. Without that direction, you're financing a credential that leaves graduates scrambling in New York's expensive job market with limited financial cushion.