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

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 46% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 38%. Compare the cost with other Maryland programs before deciding.

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

Q: How much debt do Howard Community College liberal arts and general studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $10,200, which ranks 8th lowest of 15 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Maryland. That works out to about $108 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Howard Community College liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in Maryland?

Most do. 85% (86 of 101) were working in Maryland one year after graduating.

Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public college
Columbia, MD
About 665 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Howard Community College liberal arts and general studies graduates earn less than graduates of most liberal arts and general studies programs nationally, $22,042 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $10,200 in federal loans, close to the national median of $10,864. Several Maryland programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$22,04214th percentile of 728 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$51,376133% more than year one

Median federal debt$10,2008th lowest of 15 Maryland programs

Debt-to-earnings46%Maryland median 40%, national 38%

How it compares

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

	Howard Community College	Maryland	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$22,042	$26,448	$27,139
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$51,376	$46,923	$40,284
Median federal debt at graduation	$10,200	$10,200	$10,864
Debt as share of first-year pay	46%	40%	38%
Programs compared		15	728

Five years out, Howard Community College graduates earn more than the national figure and about $4,453 more than the Maryland median.

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

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

Howard Community CollegeOther Maryland 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 133% between the first and fifth year.

Howard Community College grads, year 1$22,042

Howard Community College grads, year 5$51,376

All Maryland liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$46,923

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 $5,273 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$21,996Median debt $10,200

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$27,269Median debt $10,250

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $108 a month, or 5.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (108 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	20–29%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–29%
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. Separately, 34 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $14,612.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

85% of graduates (86 of 101) were working in Maryland one year after graduating. Prices in the Baltimore area are about 4% above the national average, so a $22,042 salary here buys what about $21,095 buys in a typical US city.

About Howard Community College

In-district tuition and fees	$4,080 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$9,624 / year
Average net price after aid	$11,133 / year
Graduation rate (within 1.5 times the normal program length)	24%
Undergraduate students	6,649

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 3rd of 3 associate's programs at Howard Community College by first-year earnings. The others are Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($72,633) and Nursing ($71,307).

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

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Howard Community CollegeColumbia, MD · public		$22,042	$10,200
Baltimore City Community CollegeBaltimore, MD · public	14 mi	$41,120	$8,850
Montgomery CollegeRockville, MD · public	17 mi	$20,217	$9,500
UMGCAdelphi, MD · public	21 mi	$41,071	$8,250
Prince George's Community CollegeLargo, MD · public	23 mi	$31,322	$13,499
Anne Arundel Community CollegeArnold, MD · public	23 mi	$25,826	$9,500
Carroll Community CollegeWestminster, MD · public	23 mi	$23,320	$8,750
Community College of Baltimore CountyBaltimore, MD · public	23 mi	$27,852	$13,469
Northern Virginia Community CollegeAnnandale, VA · public	33 mi	$32,144	$11,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $22,042 one year after graduating and $51,376 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Maryland is $26,448.

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 Maryland 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 Maryland, ranked15 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies associate's programs in the US, ranked728 programs by pay and debt All Howard Community College programs, ranked4 programs by pay and debt