ROI Major

Linguistics and Comparative Language Studies at University of Texas at El Paso

TX · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 16.01

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Linguistics and Comparative Language Studies degree from University of Texas at El Paso earn a median salary of $62,260 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $67,600. The degree typically pays for itself in 7.7 years.

Quick Insights

Slow Burn / High Debt Risk

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$46,337

Typical Career

$62,260

Top Performers

$74,386

Estimated break-even: 7.7 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$415

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,188. Most students can comfortably afford about a $415 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.6x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.8x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Texas buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Educational Services, Health Care & Social Assistance, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 33.3%
Health Care & Social Assistance 19.3%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 8.7%

Institution-wide industry mix for bachelor's graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$67,600

Nominal: $62,260 in Texas (COL 92.1% of national avg) · 8.6% higher purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

7.7 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $30,494 $50,471 $61,906
5 Years After Graduation $46,337 $62,260 $74,386
10 Years After Graduation $54,605 $66,942 $78,644

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $62,260 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in TX, which has a cost-of-living index of 92.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $62,260 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $67,600 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates with a degree in Linguistics and Comparative Language Studies from the University of Texas at El Paso can expect a promising earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $50,471, which increases to $62,260 five years post-graduation and reaches $66,942 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns closely with the national equivalent at $67,600.43, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive edge in terms of real income over time.

The top industries for graduates include Educational Services (33.3%), Health Care & Social Assistance (19.3%), and Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (8.7%). The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 7.7 years, suggesting that pursuing this degree can yield a favorable return on investment. Overall, the career prospects and financial outcomes for graduates appear solid, particularly within the educational and health sectors.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Linguistics and Comparative Language Studies degree at University of Texas at El Paso stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.

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