Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute 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
- Hudson, NC
- About 424 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute liberal arts and general studies graduates earn about what liberal arts and general studies graduates earn nationally, $24,195 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $5,500 in federal loans, less than at 95% of liberal arts and general studies programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying liberal arts and general studies degrees in North Carolina.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The North Carolina and national columns are the medians across all liberal arts and general studies associate's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute graduates earn less than the national figure but about $2,414 more than the North Carolina median.
Debt and first-year pay at every North Carolina liberal arts and general studies program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the North Carolina 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 60% between the first and fifth year.
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 $58 a month, or 2.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
94% of graduates (72 of 77) were working in North Carolina one year after graduating. Prices in the Hickory area are about 12% below the national average, so a $24,195 salary here buys what about $27,343 buys in a typical US city.
About Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute
Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 4th of 4 associate's programs at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($66,904), Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($52,283), and Allied Health and Medical Assisting ($35,552).
Other liberal arts and general studies associate's programs near Hudson
Common questions
The median graduate earns $24,195 one year after graduating and $38,600 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in North Carolina is $26,838.
The median federal loan balance is $5,500, which ranks the lowest of 39 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in North Carolina. That works out to about $58 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 23% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 38%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several North Carolina programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.
Most do. 94% (72 of 77) were working in North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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