How much debt do Ball State liberal arts and general studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,965, which ranks 8th lowest of 17 liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs in Indiana. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from Ball State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 76% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 73%. Compare the cost with other Indiana programs before deciding.

Ball State Liberal Arts and General Studies (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Ball State liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in Indiana?

Most do. 74% (167 of 225) were working in Indiana one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public university
Muncie, IN
About 199 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Ball State liberal arts and general studies graduates earn about what liberal arts and general studies graduates earn nationally, $35,269 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,965 in federal loans, close to the national median of $27,000. Several Indiana programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$35,26943rd percentile of 395 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$46,72232% more than year one

Median federal debt$26,9658th lowest of 17 Indiana programs

Debt-to-earnings76%Indiana median 73%, national 73%

How it compares

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

	Ball State	Indiana	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$35,269	$35,853	$36,157
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$46,722	$47,380	$48,575
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,965	$27,000	$27,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	76%	73%	73%
Programs compared		18	395

Five years out, Ball State graduates earn less than the national figure and about the same as the Indiana median.

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

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

Ball StateOther Indiana 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 32% between the first and fifth year.

Ball State grads, year 1$35,269

Ball State grads, year 5$46,722

All Indiana liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$47,380

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 about the same in their first year as other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $28,157 against $25,000.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$35,368Median debt $28,157

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$35,371Median debt $25,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 9.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (273 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	5% or less
Paying down the balance	20–24%
Paused payments (forbearance)	15–19%
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, 90 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $11,445.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

74% of graduates (167 of 225) were working in Indiana one year after graduating. Prices in the Muncie area are about 12% below the national average, so a $35,269 salary here buys what about $40,011 buys in a typical US city.

About Ball State

In-state tuition and fees	$11,082 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$29,630 / year
Average net price after aid	$14,940 / year
Admission rate	86%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	62%
Undergraduate students	13,988

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 37th of 53 bachelor's programs at Ball State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($73,719), Construction Management ($69,076), and Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($67,833).

Other liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs near Muncie

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Ball StateMuncie, IN · public		$35,269	$26,965
Anderson University (Indiana)Anderson, IN · private nonprofit	15 mi	$35,722	$29,440
Indiana Wesleyan University-MarionMarion, IN · private nonprofit	26 mi	$43,763	$27,000
IU EastRichmond, IN · public	36 mi	$39,936	$29,072
IU KokomoKokomo, IN · public	42 mi	$35,482	$24,236
IU IndianapolisIndianapolis, IN · public	50 mi	$41,499	$29,000
University of IndianapolisIndianapolis, IN · private nonprofit	51 mi	$43,509	$31,000
Miami UniversityOxford, OH · public	60 mi	$40,556	$31,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $35,269 one year after graduating and $46,722 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs in Indiana is $35,853.

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 Indiana 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 bachelor's programs in Indiana, ranked18 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies bachelor's programs in the US, ranked395 programs by pay and debt All Ball State programs, ranked54 programs by pay and debt