North Central Texas College Liberal Arts and General Studies (Associate's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
- Public college
- Gainesville, TX
- About 833 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
North Central Texas College liberal arts and general studies graduates earn more than graduates of most liberal arts and general studies programs nationally, $34,615 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $11,546 in federal loans, close to the national median of $10,864. It is one of the higher-paying liberal arts and general studies degrees in Texas.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Texas and national columns are the medians across all liberal arts and general studies associate's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, North Central Texas College graduates earn more than the national figure and about $6,506 more than the Texas median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Texas liberal arts and general studies program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Texas medians.
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 39% between the first and fifth year.
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 $122 a month, or 4.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
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 $8,000.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
91% of graduates (172 of 189) were working in Texas one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Texas outside metro areas are about 12% below the national average, so a $34,615 salary here buys what about $39,409 buys in a typical US city.
About North Central Texas College
Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 3rd of 4 associate's programs at North Central Texas College by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($65,491), Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($59,480), and Liberal Arts and General Studies ($34,615).
Other liberal arts and general studies associate's programs near Gainesville
Common questions
The median graduate earns $34,615 one year after graduating and $48,226 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Texas is $27,180.
The median federal loan balance is $11,546, which ranks 31st lowest of 46 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Texas. That works out to about $122 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 33% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 38%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 10% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Texas programs report higher pay.
Most do. 91% (172 of 189) were working in Texas one year after graduating.
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 Texas 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