Bachelor's · Bakersfield, California
Is Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at California State University-Bakersfield worth it?
Low confidence Low confidence: fewer than 40 graduates behind the earnings figures.
The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans
Graduates typically don't earn back the cost within 20 years, compared with the no-degree baseline.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $29,953
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- Not enough graduates to report
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- Not enough borrowers to report
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Net cost to graduate, all families
- $17k (likely $17k – $23k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- −$9k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in CA
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- Not within 20 years in most scenarios
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- −$281k (likely −$347k – −$220k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- −$370k (likely −$480k – −$251k)
- Today's dollars
- Odds of finishing (school-wide)
- 48%
- Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Change income, residency or loans Compare Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at other schools
🌍 Getting ready in high school
Students heading toward languages & cultures majors like this one often take these classes. Every school offers a different mix, so check with your counselor.
AP classes
- AP Spanish Language and Culture (or French, German, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Latin)
- AP World History: Modern
- AP Human Geography
IB Higher Level
- Language B HL
- History HL or Geography HL
Build my roadmap 🗺️ Middle school to career, plus high schools near you that offer these classes.
Other majors at California State University-Bakersfield
- Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's)$120,351
- Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's)$102,298
- Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's)$97,998
- Computer Engineering (Bachelor's)$93,797
- Education, General (Master's)$92,010
- Engineering Science (Bachelor's)$88,948
- Social Work (Master's)$86,527
- Public Administration (Master's)$85,123
- Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy (Bachelor's)$82,315
- Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's)$82,248
- Computer Science (Bachelor's)$80,432
- Economics (Bachelor's)$78,029
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at other schools in California
- University of California-Berkeley$75,715
- Occidental College$71,779
- University of California-Santa Barbara$68,496
- California State Polytechnic University-Pomona$68,077
- University of Redlands$67,126
- San Francisco State University$62,623
- Loyola Marymount University$62,024
- University of the Pacific$61,487
- University of California-Davis$60,797
- University of Southern California$59,088