Foreign Languages graduates earn $50,580 four years out. The middle 50% of earners fall between $36,616 and $67,789. Where you land depends on specialization, employer, and how far you advance in the field.
This page covers Foreign Languages as a course of study: what it costs, where it is taught, and what graduates go on to earn. It sits inside the wider field of Languages and how it pays overall, which is the better comparison if you are still choosing between subjects.
Foreign Languages is a focused area of study within Languages. Pick this and you can expect to earn around $50,580 four years out, a solid return for a focused credential. You will not have trouble finding it: 66 colleges offer this program, from community colleges to research universities. About 520 students complete it each year, most walking away with a bachelor's. The focus is on writing, analysis, and communication that transfer across industries.
Median Earnings · 1yr
$34,944
Median Earnings · 4yr
$50,580
Colleges Offering
66
Graduates / Year
520
Avg Net Price / yr
$16,727
How Much Do Foreign Languages Graduates Earn?
Four years after finishing Foreign Languages, a typical graduate earns $50,580, below average for bachelor's degree holders. Half of earners land somewhere between $36,616 and $67,789, so where you end up depends on the job and the employer. Do not judge the field on a starting paycheck alone: pay tends to jump in the first few years, climbing from $34,944 at one year out to $50,580 by year four. Source: College Scorecard.
Starting salaries only. Earnings in this field grow substantially in the first 3 to 5 years.
$50,580
4-Year National Median
Below average for bachelor's degree holders.
$51,296
4-Year Institutional Median
Median of per-school medians. Each reporting college counts equally, regardless of size.
Earnings Range
Not every Foreign Languages graduate ends up in the same place. Earnings spread out a moderate amount, so know what pushes people to one end or the other. Career path divergence explains most of the range. Law, consulting, and tech-adjacent roles pull the top end up; writing, education, and nonprofit roles tend to sit near the bottom.
$36,61625th pct.
$50,580Median
$67,78975th pct.
A Solid Financial Return
Solid ROI. At median 4-year earnings of $50,580 and an estimated $66,908 four-year net cost, the typical graduate reaches earnings breakeven in roughly 3.3 years.
Based on outcomes from 49 schools.
Colleges with fewer than 30 graduates are excluded from national averages.
Who Studies This? Credential Breakdown
Of the 520 students who complete Foreign Languages programs each year, the majority (57%) earn a bachelor's degree.
The breakdown below shows the full credential distribution.
20%57%
Bachelor's57%
Certificate20%
Doctorate8%
What Can You Do With a Foreign Languages Degree?
This degree does not lock you into one job. Foreign Languages graduates show up in 3 different occupations, and Foreign Language and Literature Teachers pay the most at $79,350/yr median. Expand any card below to see daily responsibilities, in-demand skills, and 10-year growth projections.
Teach languages and literature courses in languages other than English. Includes teachers of American Sign Language (ASL). Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
Interpret oral or sign language, or translate written text from one language into another.
Follow ethical codes that protect the confidentiality of information.
Translate messages simultaneously or consecutively into specified languages, orally or by using hand signs, maintaining message content, context, and style as much as possible.
Listen to speakers' statements to determine meanings and to prepare translations, using electronic listening systems as necessary.
Top Colleges for Foreign Languages
Not sure where to study Foreign Languages? These 20 colleges graduate the most students in it each year. Scroll right to compare acceptance rate, net price, and median earnings side by side.
Ranked by Foreign Languages graduate volume. Scroll right to compare key stats.
Read our methodology →
Related Languages Programs
Foreign Languages is not the only path through Languages: 10 other specializations sit alongside it. The comparison below ranks them by 4-year median earnings so you can see where this one lands.
Decide with data, not guesswork. These tools turn the numbers on this page
into a personal plan. Estimate the real cost of a Foreign Languages program, compare colleges side-by-side, weigh the long-term payoff, and find
schools that match your profile.
The data on Foreign Languages shows 3 measurable strengths and 4 real trade-offs. All points are sourced from College Scorecard earnings, BLS projections, and IPEDS graduate counts.
PROS
Strong salary growthMedian earnings climb from $34,944 at graduation to $50,580 four years later, a clear sign of career momentum in this field.
Strong hiring volumeRelated occupations generate more than 71,100 job openings per year combined, creating consistent demand for graduates.
Flexible credential pathsPrograms are available from certificate and associate levels through bachelor's and graduate degrees, giving students real options based on timeline and goals.
CONS
Modest median earningsFour-year median of $50,580 lags STEM and business fields, affecting ROI at higher-cost programs.
Advanced degree often expectedTop roles in this field typically expect a master's degree or higher. A bachelor's may be a starting point rather than a terminal credential for the most competitive positions.
Declining roles in some areas1 related career show negative 10-year employment projections. Research specific roles before committing.
High earnings varianceGap between 25th ($36,616) and 75th ($67,789) percentile is wide. Where you land depends heavily on employer, role, and location.
Foreign Languages Degree: Frequently Asked Questions
How much do Foreign Languages graduates earn?
$50,580 four years after finishing the program. Half of graduates land between $36,616 and $67,789, so employer, role, and location move that number more than the degree itself. Source: College Scorecard.
What is the starting salary for a Foreign Languages degree?
$34,944 in the first year out. That grows to $50,580 by year four, so do not judge this field on the entry-level number alone. Most of the gain shows up once you clear the first few years and move past entry-level roles. Source: College Scorecard.
What jobs can you get with a Foreign Languages degree?
Foreign Language and Literature Teachers are one path, and it pays a median of $79,350 a year. It is not the only one: the Career Paths section below lists every occupation graduates actually go into, with wages and 10-year growth for each.
How long does a Foreign Languages program take?
Four years of full-time study for a Foreign Languages bachelor's degree, the standard timeline for this field. If you want a faster route into the workforce, community colleges offer a two-year associate option instead.
How many colleges offer Foreign Languages?
66 colleges and universities, so you are not short on options. That range runs from community colleges granting certificates and associate degrees to research universities with full doctoral tracks. Source: IPEDS.
Is a Foreign Languages degree worth it?
$50,580 median earnings four years out against $16,727 a year in average net price. That is a reasonable payback window, best at lower-cost schools and in high-demand roles. Use the Top Colleges section below to compare specific schools before deciding. Source: College Scorecard.
What is the difference between Foreign Languages and Languages?
Foreign Languages is the narrower of the two: Languages covers the full discipline, while this program limits the curriculum to Foreign Languages-specific courses, skills, and career tracks. Pick the specialization once you already know this is the direction you want; it gets you a more targeted credential, not a broader one.
What skills do employers look for in Foreign Languages graduates?
Coursework alone will not get you hired. Employers hiring Foreign Languages graduates consistently look for writing, critical analysis, and cross-cultural communication. Employers value the ability to synthesize complex information clearly, skills that transfer into communications, law, consulting, and content roles. Build those into your coursework and internships now, and the job search later gets easier.
What is the job outlook for Foreign Languages graduates?
Outlook is slow overall: related occupations average +0.7% projected job growth over the next 10 years. Interpreters and Translators are among the strongest-growth roles at +2.0%. That average hides real differences by role and location, so check the Career Paths section below for the projection on each specific occupation before you count on any single number.
Related Languages Programs
Other programs in Languages. Compare earnings, credentials, and career paths before committing to a specialization.
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
H
How to Choose a Major Pillar
A decision framework for picking a college major using your interests, aptitudes, and federal earnings data to reach a defensible choice before applying.
Yes, most schools allow it, but the schedule math rarely works without either overlapping requirements or extra time. Here's when it actually fits in four years.
The real cost of a second major, when it pays back and when it doesn't, and why a focused single major with a relevant minor often beats a double major.
Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
All 38 Majors, Ranked by What Graduates Earn
The highest-earning college major out-pays the lowest by a factor of two and a half. The full ranking of all 38 fields by median graduate earnings, with job growth alongside.
Major earnings
Highest paying majors
Job growth
STEM
Field of study
Does Engineering Tech Out-Earn Engineering? The Data Says No
A popular claim holds that the applied engineering-tech degree pays more than the theoretical one. Across every program, engineering wins by about $10,000.
Engineering tech
Engineering
Program earnings
Applied degree
Technician careers
STEM Is Not One Thing: The Pay Gap Within STEM
Across 88 STEM programs the top one out-earns the bottom by $65,000 a year. Operations research pays $122,531; environmental design pays $57,461.
STEM earnings
Engineering pay
Computer science
Program earnings
Major choice
Continue Exploring
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
