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

The median federal loan balance is $15,894, which ranks 6th lowest of 8 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Idaho. That works out to about $169 a month over 10 years.

Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from Boise State 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 Idaho programs before deciding.

Do Boise State liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in Idaho?

Most do. 86% (49 of 57) were working in Idaho one year after graduating.

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

Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public university
Boise, ID
About 180 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Boise State liberal arts and general studies graduates earn more than graduates of most liberal arts and general studies programs nationally, $40,886 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $15,894 in federal loans, more than at 86% of liberal arts and general studies programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying liberal arts and general studies degrees in Idaho.

First-year earnings$40,88697th percentile of 728 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$41,8382% more than year one

Median federal debt$15,8946th lowest of 8 Idaho programs

Debt-to-earnings39%Idaho median 43%, national 38%

How it compares

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

	Boise State	Idaho	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$40,886	$29,083	$27,139
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$41,838	$41,838	$40,284
Median federal debt at graduation	$15,894	$14,102	$10,864
Debt as share of first-year pay	39%	43%	38%
Programs compared		8	728

Five years out, Boise State graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the Idaho median.

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

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

Boise StateOther Idaho 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 2% between the first and fifth year.

Boise State grads, year 1$40,886

Boise State grads, year 5$41,838

All Idaho liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$41,838

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 $19,469 against $11,899.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$41,969Median debt $19,469

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$38,047Median debt $11,899

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $169 a month, or 5.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

86% of graduates (49 of 57) were working in Idaho one year after graduating. Prices in the Boise City area are about 2% below the national average, so a $40,886 salary here buys what about $41,555 buys in a typical US city.

About Boise State

In-state tuition and fees	$9,048 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$27,788 / year
Average net price after aid	$21,610 / year
Admission rate	87%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	60%
Undergraduate students	17,674

Liberal Arts and General Studies is the only associate's program at Boise State that reports first-year earnings.

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

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Boise StateBoise, ID · public		$40,886	$15,894
College of Western IdahoNampa, ID · public	15 mi	$30,424	$14,166
Treasure Valley Community CollegeOntario, OR · public	48 mi	$24,850	$12,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $40,886 one year after graduating and $41,838 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Idaho is $29,083.

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 Idaho 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 Idaho, ranked8 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies associate's programs in the US, ranked728 programs by pay and debt All Boise State programs, ranked48 programs by pay and debt