Northern Kentucky University Liberal Arts and General Studies (Associate's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
- Public university
- Highland Heights, KY
- About 44 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Northern Kentucky University liberal arts and general studies graduates earn more than graduates of most liberal arts and general studies programs nationally, $34,541 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $22,875 in federal loans, more than at 96% of liberal arts and general studies programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying liberal arts and general studies degrees in Kentucky.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Kentucky and national columns are the medians across all liberal arts and general studies associate's programs that report the figure.
Debt and first-year pay at every Kentucky liberal arts and general studies program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Kentucky medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $243 a month, or 8.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
Prices in the Cincinnati area are about 5% below the national average, so a $34,541 salary here buys what about $36,218 buys in a typical US city.
About Northern Kentucky University
Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 2nd of 2 associate's programs at Northern Kentucky University by first-year earnings. The other is Architectural Engineering Technology ($80,544).
Other liberal arts and general studies associate's programs near Highland Heights
Common questions
The median graduate earns $34,541 one year after graduating. The median across liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Kentucky is $27,263.
The median federal loan balance is $22,875, which ranks 19th lowest of 19 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Kentucky. That works out to about $243 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 66% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 38%. Compare the cost with other Kentucky programs before deciding.
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 Kentucky 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