Master's · Washington, District of Columbia
Is American Sign Language at Gallaudet University worth it?
Medium confidence Medium confidence: 40–99 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
- $61,246
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $83,993
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $29,600
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Typical borrowing (no graduate net price is published)
- $31k (likely $31k – $31k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- −$473 a year vs bachelor's graduates 4 years out in DC
- 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
- −$269k (likely −$372k – −$163k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- −$211k (likely −$436k – $43k)
- Today's dollars
Change income, residency or loans Compare American Sign Language at other schools
Scorecard reports no net price for graduate programs; cost is based on what graduates typically borrowed.