Bachelor's · Orange, California
Is Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies at Chapman University 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
- $37,146
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $47,458
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $19,500
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Net cost to graduate, all families
- $198k (likely $198k – $219k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- $7k 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
- −$356k (likely −$454k – −$255k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- −$251k (likely −$426k – −$32k)
- Today's dollars
- Odds of finishing (school-wide)
- 83%
- Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Change income, residency or loans Compare Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies at other schools
Other majors at Chapman University
- Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First professional)$153,718
- Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's)$121,592
- Law (First professional)$119,002
- Computer Science (Bachelor's)$112,780
- Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's)$107,808
- Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's)$102,147
- Statistics (Undergraduate certificate)$98,740
- Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First professional)$94,016
- Curriculum and Instruction (Doctoral)$91,496
- Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's)$86,167
- Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's)$84,978
- Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's)$84,482
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies at other schools in California
- University of California-Berkeley$69,373
- San Francisco State University$59,032
- California State University-Los Angeles$51,414
- California State University-San Bernardino$42,232
- University of Southern California$41,637
- California State University-Long Beach$41,123
- California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt$41,105
- University of California-Riverside$35,583