Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from Northern Virginia Community College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 34% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 38%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 2% or less.

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

Q: How much debt do Northern Virginia Community College liberal arts and general studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $11,000, which ranks 19th lowest of 20 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Virginia. That works out to about $117 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Northern Virginia Community College liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in Virginia?

Most do. 84% (252 of 299) were working in Virginia one year after graduating.

Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public college
Annandale, VA
About 1,298 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Northern Virginia Community College liberal arts and general studies graduates earn more than graduates of most liberal arts and general studies programs nationally, $32,144 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $11,000 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 Virginia.

First-year earnings$32,14484th percentile of 728 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$52,65464% more than year one

Median federal debt$11,00019th lowest of 20 Virginia programs

Debt-to-earnings34%Virginia median 33%, national 38%

How it compares

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

	Northern Virginia Community College	Virginia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$32,144	$24,984	$27,139
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$52,654	$37,594	$40,284
Median federal debt at graduation	$11,000	$9,000	$10,864
Debt as share of first-year pay	34%	33%	38%
Programs compared		20	728

Five years out, Northern Virginia Community College graduates earn more than the national figure and about $15,061 more than the Virginia median.

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

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

Northern Virginia Community CollegeOther Virginia 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 64% between the first and fifth year.

Northern Virginia Community College grads, year 1$32,144

Northern Virginia Community College grads, year 5$52,654

All Virginia liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$37,594

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

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$33,507Median debt $10,500

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$28,403Median debt $11,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $117 a month, or 4.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (518 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	7–8%
Paying down the balance	27–28%
Paused payments (forbearance)	23–24%
In default	2% or less

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, 40 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $13,383.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

84% of graduates (252 of 299) were working in Virginia one year after graduating. Prices in the Washington area are about 9% above the national average, so a $32,144 salary here buys what about $29,521 buys in a typical US city.

About Northern Virginia Community College

In-state tuition and fees	$5,891 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$12,409 / year
Average net price after aid	$9,919 / year
Graduation rate (within 1.5 times the normal program length)	33%
Undergraduate students	33,048

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 10th of 15 associate's programs at Northern Virginia Community College by first-year earnings. The top three are Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($74,050), Nursing ($72,905), and Dental Hygiene and Assisting ($70,727).

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

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Northern Virginia Community CollegeAnnandale, VA · public		$32,144	$11,000
Montgomery CollegeRockville, MD · public	19 mi	$20,217	$9,500
UMGCAdelphi, MD · public	22 mi	$41,071	$8,250
Prince George's Community CollegeLargo, MD · public	22 mi	$31,322	$13,499
College of Southern MarylandLa Plata, MD · public	23 mi	$29,862	$10,650
Howard Community CollegeColumbia, MD · public	33 mi	$22,042	$10,200
Anne Arundel Community CollegeArnold, MD · public	42 mi	$25,826	$9,500
Germanna Community CollegeLocust Grove, VA · public	43 mi	$27,088	$8,267
Frederick Community CollegeFrederick, MD · public	44 mi	$22,067	$8,935

Common questions

The median graduate earns $32,144 one year after graduating and $52,654 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Virginia is $24,984.

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 Virginia 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 Virginia, ranked20 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies associate's programs in the US, ranked728 programs by pay and debt All Northern Virginia Community College programs, ranked20 programs by pay and debt