Bachelor's · San Luis Obispo, California

Is English Language and Literature, General at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo worth it?

Medium confidence Medium confidence: 40–99 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back in time: graduates typically recover the cost in about 5.3 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $37,909; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $68,113; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $20,833; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $80k (likely $80k – $107k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $28k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in CA; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 5.3 years (likely 4.1–7.1); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: −$19k (likely −$106k – $72k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $327k (likely $147k – $535k); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 87%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26

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🎬 Getting ready in high school

Students heading toward media & storytelling majors like this one often take these classes. Every school offers a different mix, so check with your counselor.

AP classes

AP English Language and Composition
AP English Literature and Composition
AP Seminar

IB Higher Level

Language A: Literature HL or Language and Literature HL
Film HL

Build my roadmap 🗺️ Middle school to career, plus high schools near you that offer these classes.

Other majors at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Computer Science (Master's)$235,241
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Master's)$158,977
Computer Science (Bachelor's)$154,784
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's)$148,950
Accounting and Related Services (Master's)$134,105
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering (Master's)$132,720
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's)$131,448
Mechanical Engineering (Master's)$127,908
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's)$125,240
Construction Management (Bachelor's)$118,331
Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Master's)$113,572
Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's)$112,797

English Language and Literature, General at other schools in California

Stanford University$82,036
University of San Diego$68,752
Northeastern University Oakland$67,877
Loyola Marymount University$66,806
University of California-Berkeley$60,187
Sonoma State University$59,418
University of Southern California$59,345
University of California-Santa Barbara$59,334
National University$59,192
University of California-Davis$59,012