Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at University of California-Los Angeles

UCLA's Romance Languages program starts graduates at just $27,000—well below both California and national medians for this major—but the trajectory tells a more optimistic story. By year four, earnings jump to $55,337, more than doubling the initial figure and surpassing what most Romance Languages graduates earn elsewhere. The program sits at the 40th percentile within California, trailing UC Berkeley ($41K) and other UC campuses, but that year-four number suggests graduates are finding their footing in the job market.

The debt load is unusually low at $14,752, roughly $8,000 below California's median for this major. That 0.55 debt-to-earnings ratio means graduates owe about half a year's starting salary—manageable even during that difficult first year. This matters considerably for a humanities degree where immediate earnings typically lag other fields.

The real question is whether families can weather that challenging first year or two. If your child has financial support during the post-graduation transition period—or plans to pursue graduate education, which many Romance Languages majors do—this becomes a reasonable path from a prestigious institution with minimal debt. Without that cushion, the initial earnings gap creates real pressure that even strong long-term growth may not fully offset.