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

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 44% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 38%. Compare the cost with other Michigan programs before deciding.

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

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

The median federal loan balance is $11,750, which ranks 12th lowest of 26 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Michigan. That works out to about $125 a month over 10 years.

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

Most do. 87% (108 of 124) were working in Michigan one year after graduating.

Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public college
Jackson, MI
About 248 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Jackson College liberal arts and general studies graduates earn about what liberal arts and general studies graduates earn nationally, $26,696 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $11,750 in federal loans, close to the national median of $10,864. Several Michigan programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$26,69646th percentile of 728 programs nationally

Median federal debt$11,75012th lowest of 26 Michigan programs

Debt-to-earnings44%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.

	Jackson College	Michigan	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$26,696	$28,150	$27,139
Median federal debt at graduation	$11,750	$12,030	$10,864
Debt as share of first-year pay	44%	43%	38%
Programs compared		27	728

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.

Jackson CollegeOther Michigan programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned more in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed less. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$27,583Median debt $11,723

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$15,127Median debt $12,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $125 a month, or 5.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (40 borrowers)	Share
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%

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

87% of graduates (108 of 124) were working in Michigan one year after graduating. Prices in the Jackson area are about 8% below the national average, so a $26,696 salary here buys what about $29,087 buys in a typical US city.

About Jackson College

In-district tuition and fees	$7,350 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$10,200 / year
Average net price after aid	$7,761 / year
Undergraduate students	3,422

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 5th of 5 associate's programs at Jackson College by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($75,953), Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($48,583), and Criminal Justice ($39,162).

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

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Jackson CollegeJackson, MI · public		$26,696	$11,750
Washtenaw Community CollegeAnn Arbor, MI · public	38 mi	$27,643	$11,511
Lansing Community CollegeLansing, MI · public	40 mi	$27,926	$11,264
Kellogg Community CollegeBattle Creek, MI · public	41 mi	$32,616	$15,057
Monroe County Community CollegeMonroe, MI · public	51 mi	$30,539	$12,488
Schoolcraft Community College DistrictLivonia, MI · public	53 mi	$29,158	$10,734
Owens Community CollegePerrysburg, OH · public	60 mi	$33,847	$21,024

Common questions

The median graduate earns $26,696 one year after graduating. 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 Jackson College programs, ranked6 programs by pay and debt