Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from Paul D Camp Community College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 29% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 38%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Virginia programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Paul D Camp Community College Liberal Arts and General Studies (Associate's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Paul D Camp Community College liberal arts and general studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $7,955, which ranks 7th lowest of 20 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Virginia. That works out to about $84 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Paul D Camp Community College liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in Virginia?

Most do. 93% (37 of 40) were working in Virginia one year after graduating.

Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public college
Franklin, VA
About 84 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Paul D Camp Community College liberal arts and general studies graduates earn about what liberal arts and general studies graduates earn nationally, $27,232 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $7,955 in federal loans, less than at 81% of liberal arts and general studies programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying liberal arts and general studies degrees in Virginia.

First-year earnings$27,23251st percentile of 728 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$38,02840% more than year one

Median federal debt$7,9557th lowest of 20 Virginia programs

Debt-to-earnings29%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.

	Paul D Camp Community College	Virginia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$27,232	$24,984	$27,139
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$38,028	$37,594	$40,284
Median federal debt at graduation	$7,955	$9,000	$10,864
Debt as share of first-year pay	29%	33%	38%
Programs compared		20	728

Five years out, Paul D Camp Community College graduates earn less than the national figure and about the same as 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.

Paul D Camp 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 40% between the first and fifth year.

Paul D Camp Community College grads, year 1$27,232

Paul D Camp Community College grads, year 5$38,028

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.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $84 a month, or 3.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

93% of graduates (37 of 40) were working in Virginia one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Virginia outside metro areas are about 12% below the national average, so a $27,232 salary here buys what about $30,819 buys in a typical US city.

About Paul D Camp Community College

In-state tuition and fees	$5,012 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$11,450 / year
Average net price after aid	$4,126 / year
Graduation rate (within 1.5 times the normal program length)	36%
Undergraduate students	613

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 2nd of 2 associate's programs at Paul D Camp Community College by first-year earnings. The other is Nursing ($68,422).

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

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Paul D Camp Community CollegeFranklin, VA · public		$27,232	$7,955
Tidewater Community CollegeNorfolk, VA · public	38 mi	$27,294	$11,000
College of the AlbemarleElizabeth City, NC · public	47 mi	$28,261	$7,481
Brightpoint Community CollegeChester, VA · public	53 mi	$25,240	$9,359
Southside Virginia Community CollegeAlberta, VA · public	55 mi	$21,477	$5,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $27,232 one year after graduating and $38,028 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 Paul D Camp Community College programs, ranked3 programs by pay and debt