Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from Hartnell College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 24% 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.

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

Q: How much debt do Hartnell College 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 Hartnell College liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in California?

Most do. 97% (64 of 66) were working in California one year after graduating.

Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public college
Salinas, CA
About 341 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Hartnell College liberal arts and general studies graduates earn less than graduates of most liberal arts and general studies programs nationally, $22,681 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$22,68117th percentile of 728 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$47,535110% more than year one

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

Debt-to-earnings24%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.

	Hartnell College	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$22,681	$27,524	$27,139
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$47,535	$41,799	$40,284
Median federal debt at graduation	$5,500	$8,750	$10,864
Debt as share of first-year pay	24%	29%	38%
Programs compared		25	728

Five years out, Hartnell College graduates earn more than the national figure and about $5,736 more than the California median.

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.

Hartnell CollegeOther 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 110% between the first and fifth year.

Hartnell College grads, year 1$22,681

Hartnell College grads, year 5$47,535

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 3.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

97% of graduates (64 of 66) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Salinas area are about 9% above the national average, so a $22,681 salary here buys what about $20,800 buys in a typical US city.

About Hartnell College

In-state tuition and fees	$1,404 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$10,374 / year
Average net price after aid	$2,039 / year
Graduation rate (within 1.5 times the normal program length)	40%
Undergraduate students	9,453

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 2nd of 2 associate's programs at Hartnell College by first-year earnings. The other is Criminal Justice ($34,648).

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

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Hartnell CollegeSalinas, CA · public		$22,681	$5,500
West Valley CollegeSaratoga, CA · public	45 mi	$26,161	$14,308

Common questions

The median graduate earns $22,681 one year after graduating and $47,535 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 Hartnell College programs, ranked4 programs by pay and debt