How much debt do George Mason liberal arts and general studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $24,500, which ranks 4th lowest of 11 liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs in Virginia. That works out to about $260 a month over 10 years.

Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from George Mason worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 59% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 73%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 5% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Virginia programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

George Mason Liberal Arts and General Studies (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do George Mason liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in Virginia?

Most do. 85% (245 of 288) were working in Virginia one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public university
Fairfax, VA
About 292 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

George Mason liberal arts and general studies graduates earn about what liberal arts and general studies graduates earn nationally, $41,398 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $24,500 in federal loans, close to the national median of $27,000. Several Virginia programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$41,39874th percentile of 395 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$59,12443% more than year one

Median federal debt$24,5004th lowest of 11 Virginia programs

Debt-to-earnings59%Virginia median 59%, national 73%

How it compares

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

	George Mason	Virginia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$41,398	$41,398	$36,157
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$59,124	$49,029	$48,575
Median federal debt at graduation	$24,500	$25,375	$27,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	59%	59%	73%
Programs compared		11	395

Five years out, George Mason graduates earn more than the national figure and about $10,095 more than the Virginia median.

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

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

George MasonOther Virginia 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 43% between the first and fifth year.

George Mason grads, year 1$41,398

George Mason grads, year 5$59,124

All Virginia liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$49,029

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 about the same in their first year as other graduates. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$41,558Median debt $24,844

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$41,339Median debt $24,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $260 a month, or 7.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (217 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10–14%
Paying down the balance	20–24%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–24%
In default	5% 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, 72 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $29,564.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

85% of graduates (245 of 288) were working in Virginia one year after graduating. Prices in the Washington area are about 9% above the national average, so a $41,398 salary here buys what about $38,020 buys in a typical US city.

About George Mason

In-state tuition and fees	$14,220 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$38,688 / year
Average net price after aid	$17,915 / year
Admission rate	87%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	68%
Undergraduate students	27,752

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 31st of 51 bachelor's programs at George Mason by first-year earnings. The top three are Homeland Security ($90,956), Computer Engineering ($87,466), and Systems Engineering ($84,942).

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

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
George MasonFairfax, VA · public		$41,398	$24,500
UMGCAdelphi, MD · public	25 mi	$34,196	$20,500
University of Mary WashingtonFredericksburg, VA · public	38 mi	$37,677	$22,354
American Public University SystemCharles Town, WV · private for-profit	43 mi	$62,059	$6,265
St. John's College (Maryland)Annapolis, MD · private nonprofit	45 mi	$25,307	$27,000
Shepherd UniversityShepherdstown, WV · public	49 mi	$33,587	$29,500
Notre Dame of Maryland UniversityBaltimore, MD · private nonprofit	51 mi	$48,819	$28,000
Morgan StateBaltimore, MD · public	52 mi	$39,699	$32,512

Common questions

The median graduate earns $41,398 one year after graduating and $59,124 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs in Virginia is $41,398.

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 Virginia 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 Virginia, ranked11 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies bachelor's programs in the US, ranked395 programs by pay and debt All George Mason programs, ranked51 programs by pay and debt