Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from Cal Poly Pomona worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 55% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 73%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 10% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several California programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Cal Poly Pomona Liberal Arts and General Studies (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Cal Poly Pomona liberal arts and general studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $13,750, which ranks 4th lowest of 34 liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $146 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Cal Poly Pomona liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in California?

Most do. 95% (113 of 119) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public university
Pomona, CA
About 170 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Cal Poly Pomona liberal arts and general studies graduates earn less than graduates of most liberal arts and general studies programs nationally, $25,168 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $13,750 in federal loans, less than at 97% of liberal arts and general studies programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the California median of $30,619.

First-year earnings$25,1688th percentile of 395 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$49,33596% more than year one

Median federal debt$13,7504th lowest of 34 California programs

Debt-to-earnings55%California median 55%, national 73%

How it compares

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

	Cal Poly Pomona	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$25,168	$30,619	$36,157
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$49,335	$55,458	$48,575
Median federal debt at graduation	$13,750	$16,468	$27,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	55%	55%	73%
Programs compared		34	395

Five years out, Cal Poly Pomona graduates earn about the national figure but about $6,123 less than the California median. Several California programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

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

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

Cal Poly PomonaOther California 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 96% between the first and fifth year.

Cal Poly Pomona grads, year 1$25,168

Cal Poly Pomona grads, year 5$49,335

All California liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$55,458

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. They also borrowed less. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$25,515Median debt $13,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$23,765Median debt $18,125

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $146 a month, or 7.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (122 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	20–29%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–29%
In default	10% or less

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

95% of graduates (113 of 119) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Los Angeles area are about 14% above the national average, so a $25,168 salary here buys what about $22,162 buys in a typical US city.

About Cal Poly Pomona

In-state tuition and fees	$7,780 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$20,380 / year
Average net price after aid	$11,531 / year
Admission rate	75%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	68%
Undergraduate students	25,042

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 44th of 45 bachelor's programs at Cal Poly Pomona by first-year earnings. The top three are Construction Engineering Technology ($87,960), Electrical Engineering ($80,827), and Manufacturing Engineering ($79,549).

Other liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs near Pomona

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Cal Poly PomonaPomona, CA · public		$25,168	$13,750
Los Angeles Pacific UniversityGlendora, CA · private nonprofit	4 mi	$37,985	$33,893
University of La VerneLa Verne, CA · private nonprofit	4 mi	$25,945	$23,500
Azusa Pacific UniversityAzusa, CA · private nonprofit	6 mi	$35,194	$25,000
Cal State FullertonFullerton, CA · public	13 mi	$24,706	$13,535
Providence Christian CollegePasadena, CA · private nonprofit	19 mi	$32,598	$25,000
Cal State LALos Angeles, CA · public	20 mi	$30,824	$15,171
California Baptist UniversityRiverside, CA · private nonprofit	24 mi	$33,793	$28,587
Cal State Long BeachLong Beach, CA · public	25 mi	$31,802	$15,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $25,168 one year after graduating and $49,335 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs in California is $30,619.

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 California 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 bachelor's programs in California, ranked34 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies bachelor's programs in the US, ranked395 programs by pay and debt All Cal Poly Pomona programs, ranked45 programs by pay and debt