Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from Eastern Connecticut State worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 61% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 73%, 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 Connecticut programs report higher pay.

Eastern Connecticut State Liberal Arts and General Studies (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Eastern Connecticut State liberal arts and general studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,373, which ranks 5th lowest of 8 liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs in Connecticut. That works out to about $269 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Eastern Connecticut State liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in Connecticut?

Most do. 89% (87 of 98) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public university
Willimantic, CT
About 60 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Eastern Connecticut State liberal arts and general studies graduates earn more than graduates of most liberal arts and general studies programs nationally, $41,870 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,373 in federal loans, close to the national median of $27,000. Several Connecticut programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$41,87076th percentile of 395 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$50,04020% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,3735th lowest of 8 Connecticut programs

Debt-to-earnings61%Connecticut median 58%, national 73%

How it compares

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

	Eastern Connecticut State	Connecticut	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$41,870	$42,807	$36,157
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$50,040	$57,594	$48,575
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,373	$25,373	$27,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	61%	58%	73%
Programs compared		8	395

Five years out, Eastern Connecticut State graduates earn more than the national figure but about $7,554 less than the Connecticut median.

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

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

Eastern Connecticut StateOther Connecticut 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 20% between the first and fifth year.

Eastern Connecticut State grads, year 1$41,870

Eastern Connecticut State grads, year 5$50,040

All Connecticut liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$57,594

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $5,645 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$40,680Median debt $26,089

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$46,325Median debt $23,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $269 a month, or 7.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (96 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, 25 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $28,742.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

89% of graduates (87 of 98) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating. Prices in the Norwich area are about the same as the national average.

About Eastern Connecticut State

In-state tuition and fees	$13,928 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$17,428 / year
Average net price after aid	$21,067 / year
Admission rate	83%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	58%
Undergraduate students	3,418

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 8th of 19 bachelor's programs at Eastern Connecticut State by first-year earnings. The top three are Subject-Area Teacher Education ($47,736), Teacher Education ($47,445), and Mathematics ($45,858).

Other liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs near Willimantic

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Eastern Connecticut StateWillimantic, CT · public		$41,870	$25,373
UConnStorrs, CT · public	6 mi	$44,240	$22,000
Wesleyan UniversityMiddletown, CT · private nonprofit	25 mi	$39,764	$16,125
Charter Oak State CollegeNew Britain, CT · public	29 mi	$44,615	$25,000
Bay Path UniversityLongmeadow, MA · private nonprofit	30 mi	$41,141	$29,572
Westfield StateWestfield, MA · public	41 mi	$35,004	$27,000
Worcester StateWorcester, MA · public	42 mi	$43,996	$23,907
Hampshire CollegeAmherst, MA · private nonprofit	45 mi	$21,113	$26,500
Southern Connecticut StateNew Haven, CT · public	46 mi	$36,168	$26,625

Common questions

The median graduate earns $41,870 one year after graduating and $50,040 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs in Connecticut is $42,807.

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 Connecticut 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 bachelor's programs in Connecticut, ranked8 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies bachelor's programs in the US, ranked395 programs by pay and debt All Eastern Connecticut State programs, ranked19 programs by pay and debt