Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at University at Albany

With just $30,810 in first-year earnings, UAlbany's Romance Languages program lags significantly behind both state and national benchmarks—landing in the bottom quartile among New York's 75 programs in this field. That's roughly $7,000 below the typical New York graduate and $4,000 below the national median. Among SUNY schools, even Stony Brook manages $44,000 for Romance Languages graduates, suggesting this isn't simply about studying languages in New York's economy.

The debt burden of $21,681 sits near typical levels, which means the 0.70 debt-to-earnings ratio is driven entirely by the weak salary outcomes. At this income level, loan payments will take a meaningful bite from an already modest paycheck. The small sample size (under 30 graduates) does warrant caution—one or two data points can swing averages dramatically—but the consistent underperformance relative to peer institutions is harder to dismiss.

If your student is committed to Romance Languages, they should understand they're likely starting their career earning substantially less than peers at comparable New York schools. This might be manageable for someone with clear graduate school plans or family financial cushion, but for the 42% of students here on Pell grants, that income gap could create real hardship during loan repayment years.