American Sign Language at Troy University

Troy University's American Sign Language program graduates earn slightly above the national median for ASL bachelor's degrees, hitting $35,336 in first-year earnings—just shy of the 75th percentile nationally. However, the debt story complicates this picture: at $20,500, graduates carry significantly less than the national median of $25,287, resulting in a manageable debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.58. This puts Troy in an unusual position—outperforming most ASL programs on earnings while keeping debt relatively contained.

The caveat here matters: with fewer than 30 graduates in the dataset, these numbers could swing considerably year to year. ASL is also a niche field with limited program availability (only 55 schools nationally offer it), and Troy is currently the only option in Alabama, making direct state comparisons impossible. The program serves a predominantly accessible student population at an open-admission institution, which may appeal to families prioritizing affordability and local access.

For an anxious parent, the takeaway is this: if your child is committed to ASL specifically and wants to stay in-state, Troy offers a reasonably priced path with earnings that at least match the field's standards. Just recognize that ASL bachelor's degrees generally lead to modest early-career earnings regardless of institution, and this small sample size means individual outcomes could vary more than usual.