Linguistic, Comparative, at William & Mary

A linguistics degree from William & Mary—one of Virginia's most selective institutions—comes with estimated costs and returns that mirror the state median rather than exceeding it. Based on comparable programs at Virginia public universities, graduates typically start around $40,000 with roughly $22,000 in debt. That's a manageable 0.54 debt-to-earnings ratio, but the question for a school with a 1458 average SAT is whether median outcomes justify the competitive admissions.

What's striking is that this estimated $40,000 starting salary significantly outpaces the national median of $27,449 for linguistics majors, suggesting Virginia's job market or these particular programs offer meaningful advantages. Among the five Virginia schools with similar linguistics programs, William & Mary sits squarely in the middle—trailing James Madison and VMI by several thousand dollars, roughly matching George Mason, but ahead of VCU and Virginia Tech. For parents expecting premium outcomes from a prestigious school, that middle-of-the-pack position deserves consideration.

The debt load appears reasonable and the field itself seems stronger in Virginia than nationally. However, without actual graduate outcomes from William & Mary specifically, you're investing based on what peer programs typically produce rather than demonstrated results from this institution. If your child is choosing William & Mary for linguistics specifically—rather than for the overall academic environment and career services—understanding what distinguishes this program from James Madison's stronger-earning graduates would be essential.