Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from College of Southern Idaho worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 30% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 38%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Idaho programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

College of Southern Idaho Liberal Arts and General Studies (Associate's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do College of Southern Idaho liberal arts and general studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $8,603, which ranks 2nd lowest of 8 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Idaho. That works out to about $91 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do College of Southern Idaho liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in Idaho?

Most do. 81% (80 of 99) were working in Idaho one year after graduating.

Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public college
Twin Falls, ID
About 282 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

College of Southern Idaho liberal arts and general studies graduates earn about what liberal arts and general studies graduates earn nationally, $28,658 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $8,603 in federal loans, close to the national median of $10,864. Several Idaho programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$28,65865th percentile of 728 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$35,18123% more than year one

Median federal debt$8,6032nd lowest of 8 Idaho programs

Debt-to-earnings30%Idaho median 43%, national 38%

How it compares

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

	College of Southern Idaho	Idaho	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$28,658	$29,083	$27,139
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$35,181	$41,838	$40,284
Median federal debt at graduation	$8,603	$14,102	$10,864
Debt as share of first-year pay	30%	43%	38%
Programs compared		8	728

Five years out, College of Southern Idaho graduates earn less than the national figure and about $6,657 less than the Idaho median. Several Idaho programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

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

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

College of Southern IdahoOther Idaho 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 23% between the first and fifth year.

College of Southern Idaho grads, year 1$28,658

College of Southern Idaho grads, year 5$35,181

All Idaho liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$41,838

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 $91 a month, or 3.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (48 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

81% of graduates (80 of 99) were working in Idaho one year after graduating. Prices in the Twin Falls area are about 8% below the national average, so a $28,658 salary here buys what about $31,113 buys in a typical US city.

About College of Southern Idaho

In-district tuition and fees	$3,360 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$6,840 / year
Average net price after aid	$6,095 / year
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	33%
Undergraduate students	3,810

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 7th of 8 associate's programs at College of Southern Idaho by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($65,503), Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($54,939), and Vehicle Maintenance and Repair ($44,037).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $28,658 one year after graduating and $35,181 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Idaho is $29,083.

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 Idaho 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 Idaho, ranked8 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies associate's programs in the US, ranked728 programs by pay and debt All College of Southern Idaho programs, ranked9 programs by pay and debt