Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from Alamance Community College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 25% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 38%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several North Carolina programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Alamance Community College Liberal Arts and General Studies (Associate's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Alamance Community College liberal arts and general studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $6,625, which ranks 15th lowest of 39 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in North Carolina. That works out to about $70 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Alamance Community College liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in North Carolina?

Most do. 94% (46 of 49) were working in North Carolina one year after graduating.

Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public college
Graham, NC
About 559 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Alamance Community College liberal arts and general studies graduates earn about what liberal arts and general studies graduates earn nationally, $26,855 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $6,625 in federal loans, less than at 90% of liberal arts and general studies programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying liberal arts and general studies degrees in North Carolina.

First-year earnings$26,85548th percentile of 728 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$37,65340% more than year one

Median federal debt$6,62515th lowest of 39 North Carolina programs

Debt-to-earnings25%North Carolina median 28%, national 38%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The North Carolina and national columns are the medians across all liberal arts and general studies associate's programs that report the figure.

	Alamance Community College	North Carolina	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$26,855	$26,838	$27,139
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$37,653	$36,186	$40,284
Median federal debt at graduation	$6,625	$7,500	$10,864
Debt as share of first-year pay	25%	28%	38%
Programs compared		49	728

Five years out, Alamance Community College graduates earn less than the national figure but about $1,467 more than the North Carolina median.

Debt and first-year pay at every North Carolina liberal arts and general studies program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the North Carolina medians.

Alamance Community CollegeOther North Carolina programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 40% between the first and fifth year.

Alamance Community College grads, year 1$26,855

Alamance Community College grads, year 5$37,653

All North Carolina liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$36,186

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $70 a month, or 3.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

94% of graduates (46 of 49) were working in North Carolina one year after graduating. Prices in the Burlington area are about 7% below the national average, so a $26,855 salary here buys what about $28,816 buys in a typical US city.

About Alamance Community College

In-state tuition and fees	$2,592 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$8,736 / year
Average net price after aid	$6,109 / year
Graduation rate (within 1.5 times the normal program length)	39%
Undergraduate students	3,080

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 3rd of 4 associate's programs at Alamance Community College by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($69,767), Allied Health and Medical Assisting ($32,778), and Liberal Arts and General Studies ($26,855).

Other liberal arts and general studies associate's programs near Graham

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Alamance Community CollegeGraham, NC · public		$26,855	$6,625
Durham Technical Community CollegeDurham, NC · public	27 mi	$23,876	$11,321
Rockingham Community CollegeWentworth, NC · public	32 mi	$30,865	$5,500
Guilford Technical Community CollegeJamestown, NC · public	32 mi	$28,349	$15,250
Danville Community CollegeDanville, VA · public	35 mi	$28,056	$9,397
Central Carolina Community CollegeSanford, NC · public	43 mi	$19,606	$5,500
Wake Technical Community CollegeRaleigh, NC · public	46 mi	$30,373	$11,000
Davidson-Davie Community CollegeThomasville, NC · public	48 mi	$23,331	$13,000
Forsyth Technical Community CollegeWinston-Salem, NC · public	51 mi	$25,355	$9,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $26,855 one year after graduating and $37,653 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in North Carolina is $26,838.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of North Carolina comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the liberal arts and general studies program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Liberal Arts and General Studies associate's programs in North Carolina, ranked49 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies associate's programs in the US, ranked728 programs by pay and debt All Alamance Community College programs, ranked5 programs by pay and debt