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

  • Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
  • Public college
  • Lexington, KY
  • About 711 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Bluegrass Community and Technical College liberal arts and general studies graduates earn more than graduates of most liberal arts and general studies programs nationally, $30,467 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $12,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $10,864. It is one of the higher-paying liberal arts and general studies degrees in Kentucky.

First-year earnings$30,46777th percentile of 728 programs nationally
Earnings after 5 years$38,70727% more than year one
Median federal debt$12,00011th lowest of 19 Kentucky programs
Debt-to-earnings39%Kentucky median 38%, national 38%

How it compares

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

Five years out, Bluegrass Community and Technical College graduates earn less than the national figure but about $2,862 more than the Kentucky median.

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

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

Bluegrass Community and Technical CollegeOther Kentucky 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 27% between the first and fifth year.

Bluegrass Community and Technical College grads, year 1$30,467
Bluegrass Community and Technical College grads, year 5$38,707
All Kentucky liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$35,845

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 slightly more in their first year than other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $12,862 against $11,000.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$30,290Median debt $12,862
Other graduates, year 1 earnings$29,326Median debt $11,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $127 a month, or 5.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

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, 72 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $10,000.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

93% of graduates (253 of 273) were working in Kentucky one year after graduating. Prices in the Lexington area are about 7% below the national average, so a $30,467 salary here buys what about $32,799 buys in a typical US city.

About Bluegrass Community and Technical College

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 8th of 10 associate's programs at Bluegrass Community and Technical College by first-year earnings. The top three are Heavy Equipment Maintenance ($64,355), Nursing ($62,832), and Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($55,982).

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

Common questions

The median graduate earns $30,467 one year after graduating and $38,707 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Kentucky is $27,263.

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 Kentucky 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

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

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