Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from Bunker Hill Community College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 25% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 38%.

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

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

The median federal loan balance is $9,585, which ranks 9th lowest of 14 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Massachusetts. That works out to about $102 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Bunker Hill Community College liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in Massachusetts?

Most do. 93% (116 of 125) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating.

Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public college
Boston, MA
About 122 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Bunker Hill Community College liberal arts and general studies graduates earn more than graduates of most liberal arts and general studies programs nationally, $38,348 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $9,585 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 Massachusetts.

First-year earnings$38,34895th percentile of 728 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$50,10331% more than year one

Median federal debt$9,5859th lowest of 14 Massachusetts programs

Debt-to-earnings25%Massachusetts median 30%, national 38%

How it compares

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

	Bunker Hill Community College	Massachusetts	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$38,348	$31,329	$27,139
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$50,103	$42,465	$40,284
Median federal debt at graduation	$9,585	$9,375	$10,864
Debt as share of first-year pay	25%	30%	38%
Programs compared		14	728

Five years out, Bunker Hill Community College graduates earn more than the national figure and about $7,638 more than the Massachusetts median.

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

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

Bunker Hill Community CollegeOther Massachusetts 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 31% between the first and fifth year.

Bunker Hill Community College grads, year 1$38,348

Bunker Hill Community College grads, year 5$50,103

All Massachusetts liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$42,465

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 $102 a month, or 3.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

24 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $8,854.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

93% of graduates (116 of 125) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating. Prices in the Boston area are about 8% above the national average, so a $38,348 salary here buys what about $35,420 buys in a typical US city.

About Bunker Hill Community College

In-state tuition and fees	$6,168 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$11,112 / year
Average net price after aid	$7,818 / year
Graduation rate (within 1.5 times the normal program length)	13%
Undergraduate students	8,612

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 6th of 10 associate's programs at Bunker Hill Community College by first-year earnings. The top three are Electronics Repair ($118,053), Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($75,659), and Nursing ($72,734).

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

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Bunker Hill Community CollegeBoston, MA · public		$38,348	$9,585
Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA · private nonprofit	3 mi	$40,995	$20,126
Massachusetts Bay Community CollegeWellesley Hills, MA · public	11 mi	$37,790	$8,750
Middlesex Community CollegeBedford, MA · public	15 mi	$31,451	$7,928
North Shore Community CollegeDanvers, MA · public	16 mi	$33,353	$9,000
Massasoit Community CollegeBrockton, MA · public	21 mi	$28,529	$9,375
Northern Essex Community CollegeHaverhill, MA · public	29 mi	$31,549	$9,969
Quinsigamond Community CollegeWorcester, MA · public	37 mi	$33,524	$14,250
Bristol Community CollegeFall River, MA · public	45 mi	$31,206	$8,250

Common questions

The median graduate earns $38,348 one year after graduating and $50,103 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Massachusetts is $31,329.

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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts, ranked14 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies associate's programs in the US, ranked728 programs by pay and debt All Bunker Hill Community College programs, ranked15 programs by pay and debt