ROI Major

Slavic, Baltic, and Albanian Languages at University of Virginia

VA · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 16.04

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Slavic, Baltic, and Albanian Languages degree from University of Virginia earn a median salary of $72,585 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in VA, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $70,815. The degree typically pays for itself in 6.1 years.

Quick Insights

Solid Investment

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

$51,929

Typical Career

$72,585

Top Performers

$94,389

Estimated break-even: 6.1 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$484

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $6,049. Most students can comfortably afford about a $484 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.9x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.9x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Virginia buys what costs $1.03 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 30.9%
Educational Services 13.2%
Health Care & Social Assistance 11.9%

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

$70,815

Nominal: $72,585 in Virginia (COL 102.5% of national avg) · 2.4% lower 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).

6.1 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 $26,948 $46,967 $63,270
5 Years After Graduation $51,929 $72,585 $94,389
10 Years After Graduation $60,590 $119,554 $185,810

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 $72,585 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in VA, which has a cost-of-living index of 102.5% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $72,585 × (1.0 ÷ 1.0250) = $70,815 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 Slavic, Baltic, and Albanian Languages from the University of Virginia can expect a promising earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $46,967, which increases significantly to $72,585 after five years and reaches $119,554 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equates to approximately $70,814.63 nationally, indicating that graduates can maintain a competitive standard of living despite the cost of living index in Virginia being slightly higher than the national average.

The top industries for these graduates include Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (30.9%), Educational Services (13.2%), and Health Care & Social Assistance (11.9%). With an estimated break-even point of approximately 6.1 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this degree appears favorable. This suggests that graduates can expect to recoup their educational expenses relatively quickly while entering diverse fields that value their language skills.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Slavic, Baltic, and Albanian Languages degree at University of Virginia 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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