BYU-Idaho Liberal Arts and General Studies (Associate's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
- Private nonprofit university
- Rexburg, ID
- About 1,090 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
BYU-Idaho liberal arts and general studies graduates earn less than graduates of most liberal arts and general studies programs nationally, $20,404 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $7,846 in federal loans, less than at 82% of liberal arts and general studies programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the Idaho median of $29,083.
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.
Five years out, BYU-Idaho graduates earn less than the national figure and about $6,771 less than the Idaho median. Several Idaho programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.
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.
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 72% between the first and fifth year.
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. They also borrowed less. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $83 a month, or 4.9% 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.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
30% of graduates (45 of 150) were working in Idaho one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Idaho outside metro areas are about 8% below the national average, so a $20,404 salary here buys what about $22,211 buys in a typical US city.
About BYU-Idaho
Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 2nd of 2 associate's programs at BYU-Idaho by first-year earnings. The other is Office Administration ($27,137).
Other liberal arts and general studies associate's programs near Rexburg
Common questions
The median graduate earns $20,404 one year after graduating and $35,067 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Idaho is $29,083.
The median federal loan balance is $7,846, which ranks the lowest of 8 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Idaho. That works out to about $83 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 38% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 38%. Compare the cost with other Idaho programs before deciding.
Many leave. 30% (45 of 150) were working in Idaho one year after graduating.
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