Is the liberal arts and general studies program at Merced College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 34% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 35%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several California programs report higher pay.

Merced College Liberal Arts and General Studies (Certificate): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

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

The median federal loan balance is $9,300, which ranks 16th lowest of 20 liberal arts and general studies certificate programs in California. That works out to about $99 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Merced College liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in California?

Most do. 94% (82 of 87) were working in California one year after graduating.

Certificate in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public college
Merced, CA
About 700 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Merced College liberal arts and general studies graduates earn about what liberal arts and general studies graduates earn nationally, $27,413 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $9,300 in federal loans, close to the national median of $9,375. Several California programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$27,41352nd percentile of 65 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$35,81731% more than year one

Median federal debt$9,30016th lowest of 20 California programs

Debt-to-earnings34%California median 28%, national 35%

How it compares

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

	Merced College	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$27,413	$27,284	$27,154
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$35,817	$45,520	$43,480
Median federal debt at graduation	$9,300	$7,456	$9,375
Debt as share of first-year pay	34%	28%	35%
Programs compared		20	65

Five years out, Merced College graduates earn less than the national figure and about $9,703 less than the California median. Several California programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

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

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

Merced CollegeOther California 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 31% between the first and fifth year.

Merced College grads, year 1$27,413

Merced College grads, year 5$35,817

All California liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$45,520

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 $99 a month, or 4.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

94% of graduates (82 of 87) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Merced area are about 2% below the national average, so a $27,413 salary here buys what about $27,894 buys in a typical US city.

About Merced College

In-state tuition and fees	$1,200 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$8,520 / year
Average net price after aid	$5,040 / year
Graduation rate (within 1.5 times the normal program length)	36%
Undergraduate students	10,001

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 4th of 4 certificate programs at Merced College by first-year earnings. The top three are Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($78,871), Practical Nursing ($31,349), and Welding and Machining ($27,541).

Other liberal arts and general studies certificate programs near Merced

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Merced CollegeMerced, CA · public		$27,413	$9,300
Modesto Junior CollegeModesto, CA · public	36 mi	$25,984	$7,065

Common questions

The median graduate earns $27,413 one year after graduating and $35,817 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies certificate programs in California is $27,284.

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 California 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 certificate programs in California, ranked20 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies certificate programs in the US, ranked65 programs by pay and debt All Merced College programs, ranked10 programs by pay and debt