Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from Anoka-Ramsey Community College worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 40% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 38%. Compare the cost with other Minnesota programs before deciding.

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

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

The median federal loan balance is $12,943, which ranks 10th lowest of 23 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Minnesota. That works out to about $137 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Anoka-Ramsey Community College liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in Minnesota?

Most do. 94% (192 of 204) were working in Minnesota one year after graduating.

Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public college
Coon Rapids, MN
About 573 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Anoka-Ramsey Community College liberal arts and general studies graduates earn more than graduates of most liberal arts and general studies programs nationally, $32,056 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $12,943 in federal loans, close to the national median of $10,864. Several Minnesota programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$32,05684th percentile of 728 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$47,13947% more than year one

Median federal debt$12,94310th lowest of 23 Minnesota programs

Debt-to-earnings40%Minnesota median 40%, national 38%

How it compares

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

	Anoka-Ramsey Community College	Minnesota	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$32,056	$32,056	$27,139
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$47,139	$45,633	$40,284
Median federal debt at graduation	$12,943	$13,156	$10,864
Debt as share of first-year pay	40%	40%	38%
Programs compared		23	728

Five years out, Anoka-Ramsey Community College graduates earn more than the national figure and about $1,506 more than the Minnesota median.

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

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

Anoka-Ramsey Community CollegeOther Minnesota 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 47% between the first and fifth year.

Anoka-Ramsey Community College grads, year 1$32,056

Anoka-Ramsey Community College grads, year 5$47,139

All Minnesota liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$45,633

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

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned more in their first year than other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $16,710 against $12,000.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$33,648Median debt $16,710

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$29,672Median debt $12,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $137 a month, or 5.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (212 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	5–9%
Paying down the balance	25–29%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–24%
In default	5% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual. Separately, 28 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $12,457.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

94% of graduates (192 of 204) were working in Minnesota one year after graduating. Prices in the Minneapolis area are about 5% above the national average, so a $32,056 salary here buys what about $30,581 buys in a typical US city.

About Anoka-Ramsey Community College

Tuition and fees	$5,682 / year
Average net price after aid	$16,434 / year
Graduation rate (within 1.5 times the normal program length)	30%
Undergraduate students	4,201

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 5th of 5 associate's programs at Anoka-Ramsey Community College by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($66,484), Accounting ($43,520), and Business ($39,962).

Other liberal arts and general studies associate's programs near Coon Rapids

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Anoka-Ramsey Community CollegeCoon Rapids, MN · public		$32,056	$12,943
North Hennepin Community CollegeBrooklyn Park, MN · public	5 mi	$37,317	$13,830
Minneapolis Community and Technical CollegeMinneapolis, MN · public	14 mi	$28,858	$17,500
University of St Thomas (Minnesota)Saint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	18 mi	$14,747	$4,500
Saint Paul CollegeSaint Paul, MN · public	19 mi	$25,100	$15,827
Century College (Minnesota)White Bear Lake, MN · public	20 mi	$38,376	$14,264
Normandale Community CollegeBloomington, MN · public	24 mi	$33,809	$12,778
Inver Hills Community CollegeInver Grove Heights, MN · public	28 mi	$41,906	$14,575
St Cloud Technical and Community CollegeSaint Cloud, MN · public	49 mi	$37,802	$15,111

Common questions

The median graduate earns $32,056 one year after graduating and $47,139 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Minnesota is $32,056.

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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota, ranked23 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies associate's programs in the US, ranked728 programs by pay and debt All Anoka-Ramsey Community College programs, ranked5 programs by pay and debt