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

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 31% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 38%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Kansas programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

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

The median federal loan balance is $7,302, which ranks the lowest of 18 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Kansas. That works out to about $77 a month over 10 years.

Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public college
Independence, KS
About 62 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Independence Community College liberal arts and general studies graduates earn less than graduates of most liberal arts and general studies programs nationally, $23,620 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $7,302 in federal loans, less than at 85% of liberal arts and general studies programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the Kansas median of $26,131.

First-year earnings$23,62022nd percentile of 728 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$31,58234% more than year one

Median federal debt$7,302The lowest of 18 Kansas programs

Debt-to-earnings31%Kansas median 35%, national 38%

How it compares

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

	Independence Community College	Kansas	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$23,620	$26,131	$27,139
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$31,582	$40,999	$40,284
Median federal debt at graduation	$7,302	$9,500	$10,864
Debt as share of first-year pay	31%	35%	38%
Programs compared		18	728

Five years out, Independence Community College graduates earn less than the national figure and about $9,417 less than the Kansas median. Several Kansas programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

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

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

Independence Community CollegeOther Kansas 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 34% between the first and fifth year.

Independence Community College grads, year 1$23,620

Independence Community College grads, year 5$31,582

All Kansas liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$40,999

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 $77 a month, or 3.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the parts of Kansas outside metro areas are about 14% below the national average, so a $23,620 salary here buys what about $27,491 buys in a typical US city.

About Independence Community College

In-district tuition and fees	$4,560 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$4,950 / year
Average net price after aid	$3,265 / year
Graduation rate (within 1.5 times the normal program length)	26%
Undergraduate students	486

Liberal Arts and General Studies is the only associate's program at Independence Community College that reports first-year earnings.

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

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Independence Community CollegeIndependence, KS · public		$23,620	$7,302
Coffeyville Community CollegeCoffeyville, KS · public	12 mi	$28,357	$8,000
Labette Community CollegeParsons, KS · public	27 mi	$22,095	$11,500
Neosho County Community CollegeChanute, KS · public	36 mi	$27,437	$8,600
Allen County Community CollegeIola, KS · public	54 mi	$25,323	$8,596

Common questions

The median graduate earns $23,620 one year after graduating and $31,582 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Kansas is $26,131.

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 Kansas 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 Kansas, ranked18 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies associate's programs in the US, ranked728 programs by pay and debt