Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from Clark State College worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 59% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 38%. Compare the cost with other Ohio programs before deciding.

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

Q: How much debt do Clark State College liberal arts and general studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $14,260, which ranks 10th lowest of 19 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Ohio. That works out to about $151 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Clark State College liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in Ohio?

Most do. 94% (49 of 52) were working in Ohio one year after graduating.

Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public college
Springfield, OH
About 172 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Clark State College liberal arts and general studies graduates earn about what liberal arts and general studies graduates earn nationally, $24,049 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $14,260 in federal loans, more than at 80% of liberal arts and general studies programs in the country. Several Ohio programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$24,04926th percentile of 728 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$34,41343% more than year one

Median federal debt$14,26010th lowest of 19 Ohio programs

Debt-to-earnings59%Ohio median 46%, national 38%

How it compares

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

	Clark State College	Ohio	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$24,049	$31,870	$27,139
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$34,413	$40,189	$40,284
Median federal debt at graduation	$14,260	$14,100	$10,864
Debt as share of first-year pay	59%	46%	38%
Programs compared		19	728

Five years out, Clark State College graduates earn less than the national figure and about $5,776 less than the Ohio median. Several Ohio programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

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

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

Clark State CollegeOther Ohio 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 43% between the first and fifth year.

Clark State College grads, year 1$24,049

Clark State College grads, year 5$34,413

All Ohio liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$40,189

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 $151 a month, or 7.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

94% of graduates (49 of 52) were working in Ohio one year after graduating. Prices in the Springfield area are about 10% below the national average, so a $24,049 salary here buys what about $26,579 buys in a typical US city.

About Clark State College

In-state tuition and fees	$4,393 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$8,049 / year
Average net price after aid	$12,135 / year
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	22%
Undergraduate students	3,456

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 6th of 6 associate's programs at Clark State College by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($63,620), Medical Laboratory Science ($46,003), and Business Administration ($37,121).

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

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Clark State CollegeSpringfield, OH · public		$24,049	$14,260
Sinclair Community CollegeDayton, OH · public	23 mi	$28,086	$12,500
Edison State Community CollegePiqua, OH · public	28 mi	$31,496	$12,000
Ohio StateColumbus, OH · public	43 mi	$31,870	$14,000
Southern State Community CollegeHillsboro, OH · public	47 mi	$29,137	$10,993
Miami UniversityOxford, OH · public	56 mi	$34,431	$17,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $24,049 one year after graduating and $34,413 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Ohio is $31,870.

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 Ohio 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 Ohio, ranked19 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies associate's programs in the US, ranked728 programs by pay and debt All Clark State College programs, ranked7 programs by pay and debt