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

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 60% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 38%. Compare the cost with other Michigan programs before deciding.

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

Q: How much debt do Henry Ford College liberal arts and general studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $16,767, which ranks 24th lowest of 26 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Michigan. That works out to about $178 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Henry Ford College liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in Michigan?

Most do. 92% (101 of 110) were working in Michigan one year after graduating.

Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public college
Dearborn, MI
About 430 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Henry Ford College liberal arts and general studies graduates earn about what liberal arts and general studies graduates earn nationally, $27,790 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $16,767 in federal loans, more than at 89% of liberal arts and general studies programs in the country. Several Michigan programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$27,79057th percentile of 728 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$35,09826% more than year one

Median federal debt$16,76724th lowest of 26 Michigan programs

Debt-to-earnings60%Michigan median 43%, national 38%

How it compares

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

	Henry Ford College	Michigan	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$27,790	$28,150	$27,139
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$35,098	$39,042	$40,284
Median federal debt at graduation	$16,767	$12,030	$10,864
Debt as share of first-year pay	60%	43%	38%
Programs compared		27	728

Five years out, Henry Ford College graduates earn less than the national figure and about $3,944 less than the Michigan median.

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

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

Henry Ford CollegeOther Michigan 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 26% between the first and fifth year.

Henry Ford College grads, year 1$27,790

Henry Ford College grads, year 5$35,098

All Michigan liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$39,042

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 slightly more in their first year than other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $17,050 against $15,250.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$27,847Median debt $17,050

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$26,711Median debt $15,250

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $178 a month, or 7.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (102 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	10% or less
Paused payments (forbearance)	30–39%
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

92% of graduates (101 of 110) were working in Michigan one year after graduating. Prices in the Detroit area are about the same as the national average.

About Henry Ford College

In-district tuition and fees	$3,568 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$7,816 / year
Average net price after aid	$660 / year
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	17%
Undergraduate students	8,643

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 5th of 9 associate's programs at Henry Ford College by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($71,268), Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($58,792), and Business Administration ($37,860).

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

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Henry Ford CollegeDearborn, MI · public		$27,790	$16,767
Wayne County Community College DistrictDetroit, MI · public	9 mi	$30,703	$17,154
Schoolcraft Community College DistrictLivonia, MI · public	12 mi	$29,158	$10,734
Macomb Community CollegeWarren, MI · public	18 mi	$29,791	$8,250
Oakland Community CollegeAuburn Hills, MI · public	22 mi	$37,347	$12,843
Washtenaw Community CollegeAnn Arbor, MI · public	22 mi	$27,643	$11,511
Monroe County Community CollegeMonroe, MI · public	31 mi	$30,539	$12,488
Mott Community CollegeFlint, MI · public	53 mi	$29,958	$16,668
Owens Community CollegePerrysburg, OH · public	53 mi	$33,847	$21,024

Common questions

The median graduate earns $27,790 one year after graduating and $35,098 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Michigan is $28,150.

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 Michigan 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 Michigan, ranked27 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies associate's programs in the US, ranked728 programs by pay and debt All Henry Ford College programs, ranked10 programs by pay and debt