Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies: degree ROI, salary & best colleges
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies graduates earn a median $48,471 four years after finishing — $111/yr above the $48,360 high-school baseline. At a typical $16,906/yr net price ($67,624 over four years), that pays back in about 609.2 years. Federal data pools 417 bachelor's programs graduating roughly 6,187 students a year. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026 · our math.)
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies ranks #177 of 202 bachelor's fields by earnings — pays more than 13% of majors.
| # | College | State | Grad earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Richmond | VA | $81,253 |
| 2 | University of Utah | UT | $75,686 |
| 3 | Carnegie Mellon University | PA | $71,205 |
| 4 | Iowa State University | IA | $69,673 |
| 5 | University of California-Berkeley | CA | $69,373 |
| 6 | Hobart William Smith Colleges | NY | $68,522 |
| 7 | The University of Texas at Austin | TX | $68,314 |
| 8 | Saint Johns University | MN | $67,607 |
| 9 | Clemson University | SC | $67,102 |
| 10 | College of Saint Benedict | MN | $64,449 |
| 11 | Johns Hopkins University | MD | $63,503 |
| 12 | Loyola University Maryland | MD | $62,745 |
College Scorecard field-of-study (2026), program-level median earnings for this CIP · our ranking.
How we compute this. Earnings are the national median for graduates of this field measured 1 and 4 years after completion (Scorecard field-of-study, bachelor's). Premium = 4-year earnings − the $48,360 high-school baseline. Payback = a representative 4-year net cost (median college net price × 4) ÷ premium. Field medians blend every school — a specific program can pay far more or less. Full method on the methodology page; the field ranking is on ROI by major.