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

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 32% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 38%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Nebraska programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

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

The median federal loan balance is $8,313, which ranks the lowest of 5 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Nebraska. That works out to about $88 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Central Community College liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in Nebraska?

Most do. 89% (50 of 56) were working in Nebraska one year after graduating.

Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public college
Grand Island, NE
About 194 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Central Community College liberal arts and general studies graduates earn about what liberal arts and general studies graduates earn nationally, $26,198 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $8,313 in federal loans, less than at 76% 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 Nebraska.

First-year earnings$26,19842nd percentile of 728 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$39,79052% more than year one

Median federal debt$8,313The lowest of 5 Nebraska programs

Debt-to-earnings32%Nebraska median 35%, national 38%

How it compares

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

	Central Community College	Nebraska	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$26,198	$30,292	$27,139
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$39,790	$43,073	$40,284
Median federal debt at graduation	$8,313	$10,214	$10,864
Debt as share of first-year pay	32%	35%	38%
Programs compared		5	728

Five years out, Central Community College graduates earn about the national figure but about $3,283 less than the Nebraska median. Several Nebraska programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

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

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

Central Community CollegeOther Nebraska 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 52% between the first and fifth year.

Central Community College grads, year 1$26,198

Central Community College grads, year 5$39,790

All Nebraska liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$43,073

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 $88 a month, or 4.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (45 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%

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

89% of graduates (50 of 56) were working in Nebraska one year after graduating. Prices in the Grand Island area are about 13% below the national average, so a $26,198 salary here buys what about $30,232 buys in a typical US city.

About Central Community College

In-state tuition and fees	$3,360 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$4,800 / year
Average net price after aid	$7,024 / year
Graduation rate (within 1.5 times the normal program length)	48%
Undergraduate students	3,353

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 8th of 8 associate's programs at Central Community College by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($64,945), Dental Hygiene and Assisting ($53,860), and Vehicle Maintenance and Repair ($46,758).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $26,198 one year after graduating and $39,790 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Nebraska is $30,292.

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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies associate's programs in the US, ranked728 programs by pay and debt All Central Community College programs, ranked8 programs by pay and debt