Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from Northwestern State University of Louisiana worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 70% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 38%. Compare the cost with other Louisiana programs before deciding.

Northwestern State University of Louisiana Liberal Arts and General Studies (Associate's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Northwestern State University of Louisiana liberal arts and general studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $23,735, which ranks 9th lowest of 10 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Louisiana. That works out to about $252 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Northwestern State University of Louisiana liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in Louisiana?

Most do. 68% (38 of 56) were working in Louisiana one year after graduating.

Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public university
Natchitoches, LA
About 245 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Northwestern State University of Louisiana liberal arts and general studies graduates earn more than graduates of most liberal arts and general studies programs nationally, $34,148 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $23,735 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 Louisiana.

First-year earnings$34,14890th percentile of 728 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$45,06832% more than year one

Median federal debt$23,7359th lowest of 10 Louisiana programs

Debt-to-earnings70%Louisiana median 69%, national 38%

How it compares

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

	Northwestern State University of Louisiana	Louisiana	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$34,148	$27,266	$27,139
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$45,068	$36,691	$40,284
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,735	$17,789	$10,864
Debt as share of first-year pay	70%	69%	38%
Programs compared		10	728

Five years out, Northwestern State University of Louisiana graduates earn more than the national figure and about $8,377 more than the Louisiana median.

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

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

Northwestern State University of LouisianaOther Louisiana 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 32% between the first and fifth year.

Northwestern State University of Louisiana grads, year 1$34,148

Northwestern State University of Louisiana grads, year 5$45,068

All Louisiana liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$36,691

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 $252 a month, or 8.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (43 borrowers)	Share
Paused payments (forbearance)	40–59%

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, 22 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $13,730.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

68% of graduates (38 of 56) were working in Louisiana one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Louisiana outside metro areas are about 18% below the national average, so a $34,148 salary here buys what about $41,407 buys in a typical US city.

About Northwestern State University of Louisiana

In-state tuition and fees	$8,864 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$19,652 / year
Average net price after aid	$13,606 / year
Admission rate	93%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	43%
Undergraduate students	5,519

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 2nd of 2 associate's programs at Northwestern State University of Louisiana by first-year earnings. The other is Nursing ($68,346).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $34,148 one year after graduating and $45,068 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Louisiana is $27,266.

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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana, ranked10 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies associate's programs in the US, ranked728 programs by pay and debt All Northwestern State University of Louisiana programs, ranked25 programs by pay and debt