Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from John A Logan College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 30% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 38%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Illinois programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

Q: How much debt do John A Logan College liberal arts and general studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $7,250, which ranks 12th lowest of 40 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Illinois. That works out to about $77 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do John A Logan College liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in Illinois?

Most do. 87% (26 of 30) were working in Illinois one year after graduating.

Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public college
Carterville, IL
About 210 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

John A Logan College liberal arts and general studies graduates earn less than graduates of most liberal arts and general studies programs nationally, $23,892 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $7,250 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 Illinois median of $27,529.

First-year earnings$23,89224th percentile of 728 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$29,03222% more than year one

Median federal debt$7,25012th lowest of 40 Illinois programs

Debt-to-earnings30%Illinois median 30%, national 38%

How it compares

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

	John A Logan College	Illinois	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$23,892	$27,529	$27,139
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$29,032	$41,215	$40,284
Median federal debt at graduation	$7,250	$8,100	$10,864
Debt as share of first-year pay	30%	30%	38%
Programs compared		41	728

Five years out, John A Logan College graduates earn less than the national figure and about $12,183 less than the Illinois median. Several Illinois programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

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

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

John A Logan CollegeOther Illinois 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 22% between the first and fifth year.

John A Logan College grads, year 1$23,892

John A Logan College grads, year 5$29,032

All Illinois liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$41,215

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

87% of graduates (26 of 30) were working in Illinois one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Illinois outside metro areas are about 13% below the national average, so a $23,892 salary here buys what about $27,330 buys in a typical US city.

About John A Logan College

In-district tuition and fees	$4,630 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$7,540 / year
Average net price after aid	$5,541 / year
Graduation rate (within 1.5 times the normal program length)	46%
Undergraduate students	2,016

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 2nd of 2 associate's programs at John A Logan College by first-year earnings. The other is Nursing ($67,691).

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

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
John A Logan CollegeCarterville, IL · public		$23,892	$7,250
Rend Lake CollegeIna, IL · public	28 mi	$25,219	$5,500
West Kentucky Community and Technical CollegePaducah, KY · public	53 mi	$26,590	$9,531
Kaskaskia CollegeCentralia, IL · public	57 mi	$30,605	$7,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $23,892 one year after graduating and $29,032 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Illinois is $27,529.

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 Illinois 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 Illinois, ranked41 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies associate's programs in the US, ranked728 programs by pay and debt All John A Logan College programs, ranked4 programs by pay and debt