Best English Language and Literature, General Degrees in the US by ROI

Top colleges ranked by estimated 20-year net return on investment across all active states. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Programs Analyzed

Colleges with salary data

Average 20-Yr Net ROI

+$26,333

Across all programs

Average Annual Cost

$36,483

Cost of attendance

#	College	State	20-Yr Net ROI	Median Salary	Annual Cost	Avg Debt
1	George Mason University Grad rate: 69.9%	VA	+$372,016	$63,298	$26,972	N/A	Full ROI →
2	California State University-Long Beach Grad rate: 71.3%	CA	+$259,360	$56,999	$20,310	N/A	Full ROI →
3	Northern Illinois University Grad rate: 51.3%	IL	+$259,172	$57,680	$27,214	N/A	Full ROI →
4	Georgetown University Grad rate: 95.0%	DC	+$238,248	$62,382	$84,696	N/A	Full ROI →
5	New York University Grad rate: 87.8%	NY	+$226,658	$61,245	$79,121	N/A	Full ROI →
6	Minnesota State University-Mankato Grad rate: 53.3%	MN	+$212,170	$54,865	$22,565	N/A	Full ROI →
7	Binghamton University Grad rate: 83.2%	NY	+$178,426	$53,887	$29,657	N/A	Full ROI →
8	Northern Arizona University Grad rate: 58.0%	AZ	+$162,550	$53,077	$29,495	N/A	Full ROI →
9	University of North Carolina at Charlotte Grad rate: 68.8%	NC	+$158,152	$52,111	$22,034	N/A	Full ROI →
10	National University Grad rate: 44.0%	CA	+$152,368	$53,330	$37,116	N/A	Full ROI →
11	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Grad rate: 66.5%	CA	+$120,956	$50,315	$22,672	N/A	Full ROI →
12	University of Massachusetts-Boston Grad rate: 51.1%	MA	+$82,244	$49,082	$29,698	N/A	Full ROI →
13	Simmons University Grad rate: 73.0%	MA	+$80,416	$52,372	$63,512	N/A	Full ROI →
14	University of Missouri-St Louis Grad rate: 54.4%	MO	+$61,576	$47,823	$27,442	N/A	Full ROI →
15	Monmouth University Grad rate: 69.2%	NJ	+$35,274	$49,775	$60,113	N/A	Full ROI →
16	Northwestern State University of Louisiana Grad rate: 45.5%	LA	+$20,908	$45,495	$24,496	N/A	Full ROI →
17	California State University-Fullerton Grad rate: 69.3%	CA	+$19,346	$44,644	$16,767	N/A	Full ROI →
18	The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Grad rate: 50.9%	TX	-$1,486	$43,760	$18,343	N/A	Full ROI →
19	DePaul University Grad rate: 69.7%	IL	-$6,174	$47,638	$59,467	N/A	Full ROI →
20	East Carolina University Grad rate: 63.6%	NC	-$25,218	$43,108	$23,689	N/A	Full ROI →
21	Seton Hall University Grad rate: 71.6%	NJ	-$27,992	$47,100	$64,996	N/A	Full ROI →
22	Boston College Grad rate: 91.0%	MA	-$46,086	$48,064	$83,683	N/A	Full ROI →
23	New Mexico State University-Main Campus Grad rate: 51.6%	NM	-$55,080	$41,339	$20,930	N/A	Full ROI →
24	University of North Florida Grad rate: 68.0%	FL	-$71,218	$40,462	$20,229	N/A	Full ROI →
25	Iowa State University Grad rate: 75.0%	IA	-$76,118	$40,525	$23,309	N/A	Full ROI →
26	Mercy University Grad rate: 47.6%	NY	-$83,682	$41,055	$32,391	N/A	Full ROI →
27	Colorado State University-Fort Collins Grad rate: 66.8%	CO	-$93,072	$40,316	$29,696	N/A	Full ROI →
28	Brown University Grad rate: 95.5%	RI	-$113,432	$44,827	$84,986	N/A	Full ROI →
29	University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Grad rate: 84.0%	PA	-$115,894	$39,876	$36,707	N/A	Full ROI →
30	Radford University Grad rate: 51.7%	VA	-$130,222	$38,157	$26,681	N/A	Full ROI →
31	California State University-Northridge Grad rate: 56.1%	CA	-$133,854	$37,339	$20,317	N/A	Full ROI →
32	Southern New Hampshire University Grad rate: 43.2%	NH	-$142,688	$38,618	$37,524	N/A	Full ROI →
33	University of New Orleans Grad rate: 40.5%	LA	-$162,930	$36,114	$22,605	N/A	Full ROI →
34	Northern Michigan University Grad rate: 51.8%	MI	-$191,672	$35,037	$26,206	N/A	Full ROI →
35	Marshall University Grad rate: 49.2%	WV	-$241,358	$32,062	$21,299	N/A	Full ROI →

How ROI is calculated

20-Year Net ROI = Gross Earnings (salary × 20) − Total Degree Cost − Debt Payoff (×1.35) − Baseline Opportunity Cost ($42,000 × 20). Data from the U.S. College Scorecard.

Find Best English Language and Literature, General Degrees by State

Browse English Language and Literature, General programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.