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

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 39% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 38%. Compare the cost with other New Jersey programs before deciding.

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

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

The median federal loan balance is $9,500, which ranks 8th lowest of 19 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in New Jersey. That works out to about $101 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Atlantic Cape Community College liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in New Jersey?

Most do. 94% (89 of 95) were working in New Jersey one year after graduating.

Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public college
Mays Landing, NJ
About 153 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Atlantic Cape Community College liberal arts and general studies graduates earn about what liberal arts and general studies graduates earn nationally, $24,197 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $9,500 in federal loans, close to the national median of $10,864. Several New Jersey programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$24,19728th percentile of 728 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$40,27866% more than year one

Median federal debt$9,5008th lowest of 19 New Jersey programs

Debt-to-earnings39%New Jersey median 39%, national 38%

How it compares

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

	Atlantic Cape Community College	New Jersey	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$24,197	$25,541	$27,139
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$40,278	$41,104	$40,284
Median federal debt at graduation	$9,500	$9,500	$10,864
Debt as share of first-year pay	39%	39%	38%
Programs compared		19	728

Five years out, Atlantic Cape Community College graduates earn about the national figure and about the same as the New Jersey median.

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

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

Atlantic Cape Community CollegeOther New Jersey 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 66% between the first and fifth year.

Atlantic Cape Community College grads, year 1$24,197

Atlantic Cape Community College grads, year 5$40,278

All New Jersey liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$41,104

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 $101 a month, or 5.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (56 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20% or less
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%
In default	20% 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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

94% of graduates (89 of 95) were working in New Jersey one year after graduating. Prices in the Atlantic City area are about 1% below the national average, so a $24,197 salary here buys what about $24,477 buys in a typical US city.

About Atlantic Cape Community College

In-district tuition and fees	$6,068 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$9,068 / year
Average net price after aid	$8,392 / year
Graduation rate (within 1.5 times the normal program length)	30%
Undergraduate students	3,755

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 5th of 5 associate's programs at Atlantic Cape Community College by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($73,336), Culinary Arts ($31,639), and Pre-Health Studies ($29,378).

Other liberal arts and general studies associate's programs near Mays Landing

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Atlantic Cape Community CollegeMays Landing, NJ · public		$24,197	$9,500
Camden County CollegeBlackwood, NJ · public	29 mi	$27,655	$9,789
Rowan College of South Jersey-Gloucester CampusSewell, NJ · public	32 mi	$26,187	$11,084
Rowan College at Burlington CountyMount Laurel, NJ · public	37 mi	$28,376	$9,500
Community College of PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia, PA · public	43 mi	$32,697	$14,000
Ocean County CollegeToms River, NJ · public	47 mi	$25,647	$10,749
La Salle UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	47 mi	$23,774	$4,004
Delaware County Community CollegeMedia, PA · public	51 mi	$29,277	$14,797
Thomas Edison State UniversityTrenton, NJ · public	53 mi	$50,524	$16,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $24,197 one year after graduating and $40,278 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in New Jersey is $25,541.

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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey, ranked19 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies associate's programs in the US, ranked728 programs by pay and debt All Atlantic Cape Community College programs, ranked5 programs by pay and debt