Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from College of the Sequoias worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 23% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 38%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several California programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

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

The median federal loan balance is $5,500, which ranks the lowest of 25 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in California. That works out to about $58 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do College of the Sequoias liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in California?

Most do. 93% (56 of 60) were working in California one year after graduating.

Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public college
Visalia, CA
About 619 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

College of the Sequoias liberal arts and general studies graduates earn less than graduates of most liberal arts and general studies programs nationally, $23,856 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $5,500 in federal loans, less than at 95% of liberal arts and general studies programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the California median of $27,524.

First-year earnings$23,85623rd percentile of 728 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$37,95559% more than year one

Median federal debt$5,500The lowest of 25 California programs

Debt-to-earnings23%California median 29%, national 38%

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 associate's programs that report the figure.

	College of the Sequoias	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$23,856	$27,524	$27,139
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$37,955	$41,799	$40,284
Median federal debt at graduation	$5,500	$8,750	$10,864
Debt as share of first-year pay	23%	29%	38%
Programs compared		25	728

Five years out, College of the Sequoias graduates earn less than the national figure and about $3,844 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.

College of the SequoiasOther 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 59% between the first and fifth year.

College of the Sequoias grads, year 1$23,856

College of the Sequoias grads, year 5$37,955

All California liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$41,799

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 $58 a month, or 2.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

93% of graduates (56 of 60) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Visalia area are about the same as the national average.

About College of the Sequoias

In-state tuition and fees	$1,394 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$9,038 / year
Average net price after aid	$480 / year
Graduation rate (within 1.5 times the normal program length)	39%
Undergraduate students	11,562

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 4th of 7 associate's programs at College of the Sequoias by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($98,926), Allied Health and Medical Assisting ($57,242), and Criminal Justice ($28,851).

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

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
College of the SequoiasVisalia, CA · public		$23,856	$5,500
Lemoore CollegeLemoore, CA · public	28 mi	$22,918	$9,000
Coalinga CollegeCoalinga, CA · public	59 mi	$23,307	$9,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $23,856 one year after graduating and $37,955 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in California is $27,524.

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 associate's programs in California, ranked25 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 the Sequoias programs, ranked7 programs by pay and debt