Linguistic, Comparative, at University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Starting out at $24,058 immediately raises concerns—this falls well below both national and state medians for linguistics majors. While UNCG sits at the 40th percentile among North Carolina programs, that's largely because the state's linguistics outcomes are weak overall. The top NC programs (East Carolina and NC State) produce graduates earning nearly 50% more right out of the gate.

The one bright spot is debt: at $26,414, UNCG keeps borrowing substantially lower than both state and national medians, landing in the 6th percentile nationally. The 1.10 debt-to-earnings ratio is manageable in theory, but only if those first-year earnings represent a floor rather than a ceiling. For a program serving a campus where nearly half of students receive Pell grants, controlling debt matters enormously.

The critical caveat here is sample size—with fewer than 30 graduates measured, these numbers could swing dramatically with just a few data points. That said, even accounting for volatility, earning $24K with a bachelor's degree in 2024 leaves very little financial breathing room. If your child is drawn to linguistics, either press UNCG for more recent graduate outcomes or seriously consider the higher-earning programs at ECU or NC State, where the earnings premium would justify any additional cost.