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

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 36% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 38%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Maryland programs report higher pay.

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

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

The median federal loan balance is $10,650, which ranks 10th lowest of 15 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Maryland. That works out to about $113 a month over 10 years.

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

Most do. 87% (48 of 55) were working in Maryland one year after graduating.

Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public college
La Plata, MD
About 369 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

College of Southern Maryland liberal arts and general studies graduates earn about what liberal arts and general studies graduates earn nationally, $29,862 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $10,650 in federal loans, close to the national median of $10,864. Several Maryland programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$29,86273rd percentile of 728 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$46,41355% more than year one

Median federal debt$10,65010th lowest of 15 Maryland programs

Debt-to-earnings36%Maryland median 40%, national 38%

How it compares

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

	College of Southern Maryland	Maryland	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$29,862	$26,448	$27,139
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$46,413	$46,923	$40,284
Median federal debt at graduation	$10,650	$10,200	$10,864
Debt as share of first-year pay	36%	40%	38%
Programs compared		15	728

Five years out, College of Southern Maryland graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the Maryland median.

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

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

College of Southern MarylandOther Maryland 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 55% between the first and fifth year.

College of Southern Maryland grads, year 1$29,862

College of Southern Maryland grads, year 5$46,413

All Maryland liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$46,923

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 $113 a month, or 4.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (85 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%
In default	20% 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. Separately, 22 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $16,527.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

87% of graduates (48 of 55) were working in Maryland one year after graduating. Prices in the Washington area are about 9% above the national average, so a $29,862 salary here buys what about $27,426 buys in a typical US city.

About College of Southern Maryland

In-district tuition and fees	$4,200 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$10,050 / year
Average net price after aid	$9,204 / year
Graduation rate (within 1.5 times the normal program length)	33%
Undergraduate students	4,512

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 2nd of 2 associate's programs at College of Southern Maryland by first-year earnings. The other is Nursing ($73,576).

Other liberal arts and general studies associate's programs near La Plata

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
College of Southern MarylandLa Plata, MD · public		$29,862	$10,650
Northern Virginia Community CollegeAnnandale, VA · public	23 mi	$32,144	$11,000
Prince George's Community CollegeLargo, MD · public	25 mi	$31,322	$13,499
UMGCAdelphi, MD · public	26 mi	$41,071	$8,250
Montgomery CollegeRockville, MD · public	38 mi	$20,217	$9,500
Anne Arundel Community CollegeArnold, MD · public	43 mi	$25,826	$9,500
Germanna Community CollegeLocust Grove, VA · public	44 mi	$27,088	$8,267
Howard Community CollegeColumbia, MD · public	46 mi	$22,042	$10,200
Baltimore City Community CollegeBaltimore, MD · public	56 mi	$41,120	$8,850

Common questions

The median graduate earns $29,862 one year after graduating and $46,413 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Maryland is $26,448.

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 Maryland 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 Maryland, ranked15 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 Maryland programs, ranked2 programs by pay and debt