English Language and Literature at University of Maryland Eastern Shore

An estimated $28,000 in debt positions this program above most English degrees nationally—landing in just the 5th percentile for debt burden—but the four-year earnings figure of $31,515 tells a more complicated story. While comparable Maryland programs suggest first-year earnings around $35,000, this program's graduates actually earn less four years out, a pattern that should prompt serious questions about career progression. That's notably below what graduates from Towson ($39,250) or UMD-College Park ($36,561) achieve.

The numbers become more concerning when you consider that over half of students here receive Pell grants, meaning many come from families least equipped to absorb delayed returns on educational investment. A debt-to-earnings ratio near 0.8 isn't catastrophic, but paired with earnings that decline rather than grow in the years after graduation, it suggests graduates may struggle to gain financial traction even as they make loan payments.

For families weighing this investment: the relatively accessible admission (90% acceptance rate) provides opportunity, but the earnings trajectory—particularly that four-year dip—warrants direct conversations with the department about where recent graduates are actually working and why early-career momentum appears to stall. The debt level itself is manageable, but only if those initial earnings estimates hold and graduates find paths to steady income growth that the current data doesn't reflect.