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

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 47% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 38%. Compare the cost with other Idaho programs before deciding.

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

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

The median federal loan balance is $14,166, which ranks 5th lowest of 8 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Idaho. That works out to about $150 a month over 10 years.

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

Most do. 85% (75 of 88) were working in Idaho one year after graduating.

Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public college
Nampa, ID
About 153 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

College of Western Idaho liberal arts and general studies graduates earn more than graduates of most liberal arts and general studies programs nationally, $30,424 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $14,166 in federal loans, more than at 79% of liberal arts and general studies programs in the country. Two other Idaho programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$30,42476th percentile of 728 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$42,04438% more than year one

Median federal debt$14,1665th lowest of 8 Idaho programs

Debt-to-earnings47%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 Western Idaho	Idaho	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$30,424	$29,083	$27,139
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$42,044	$41,838	$40,284
Median federal debt at graduation	$14,166	$14,102	$10,864
Debt as share of first-year pay	47%	43%	38%
Programs compared		8	728

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

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 Western 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 38% between the first and fifth year.

College of Western Idaho grads, year 1$30,424

College of Western Idaho grads, year 5$42,044

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 $150 a month, or 5.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (198 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	10–19%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–29%
In default	10% 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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

85% of graduates (75 of 88) were working in Idaho one year after graduating. Prices in the Boise City area are about 2% below the national average, so a $30,424 salary here buys what about $30,922 buys in a typical US city.

About College of Western Idaho

In-district tuition and fees	$3,446 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$7,454 / year
Average net price after aid	$8,500 / year
Undergraduate students	6,459

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 9th of 10 associate's programs at College of Western Idaho by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($74,246), Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($53,281), and Drafting and Design Technology ($49,508).

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

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
College of Western IdahoNampa, ID · public		$30,424	$14,166
Boise StateBoise, ID · public	15 mi	$40,886	$15,894
Treasure Valley Community CollegeOntario, OR · public	36 mi	$24,850	$12,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $30,424 one year after graduating and $42,044 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 Western Idaho programs, ranked17 programs by pay and debt