Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from Columbia Southern University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 29% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 38%.

Columbia Southern University Liberal Arts and General Studies (Associate's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Columbia Southern University liberal arts and general studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $15,923, which ranks 20th lowest of 21 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Alabama. That works out to about $169 a month over 10 years.

Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Private for-profit university
Orange Beach, AL
About 99 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Columbia Southern University liberal arts and general studies graduates earn more than graduates of most liberal arts and general studies programs nationally, $55,667 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $15,923 in federal loans, more than at 86% of liberal arts and general studies programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying liberal arts and general studies degrees in Alabama.

First-year earnings$55,667Top 1% of 728 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$66,19919% more than year one

Median federal debt$15,92320th lowest of 21 Alabama programs

Debt-to-earnings29%Alabama median 39%, national 38%

How it compares

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

	Columbia Southern University	Alabama	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$55,667	$24,375	$27,139
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$66,199	$39,225	$40,284
Median federal debt at graduation	$15,923	$9,886	$10,864
Debt as share of first-year pay	29%	39%	38%
Programs compared		22	728

Five years out, Columbia Southern University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $26,974 more than the Alabama median.

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

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

Columbia Southern UniversityOther Alabama 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 19% between the first and fifth year.

Columbia Southern University grads, year 1$55,667

Columbia Southern University grads, year 5$66,199

All Alabama liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$39,225

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 $169 a month, or 3.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (41 borrowers)	Share
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

Prices in the Daphne area are about 5% below the national average, so a $55,667 salary here buys what about $58,789 buys in a typical US city.

About Columbia Southern University

Tuition and fees	$6,760 / year
Average net price after aid	$14,580 / year
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	33%
Undergraduate students	12,176

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 4th of 6 associate's programs at Columbia Southern University by first-year earnings. The top three are Fire Science ($75,326), Quality Control and Safety Technology ($74,871), and Criminal Justice ($58,241).

Other liberal arts and general studies associate's programs near Orange Beach

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Columbia Southern UniversityOrange Beach, AL · private for-profit		$55,667	$15,923
Pensacola State CollegePensacola, FL · public	29 mi	$26,671	$6,660
University of West FloridaPensacola, FL · public	30 mi	$31,140	$15,125
Bishop State Community CollegeMobile, AL · public	35 mi	$22,764	$8,355
Coastal Alabama Community CollegeBay Minette, AL · public	37 mi	$22,329	$11,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $55,667 one year after graduating and $66,199 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Alabama is $24,375.

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 Alabama 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 Alabama, ranked22 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies associate's programs in the US, ranked728 programs by pay and debt All Columbia Southern University programs, ranked19 programs by pay and debt