Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from Skagit Valley 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 Washington programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Skagit Valley College Liberal Arts and General Studies (Associate's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Skagit Valley College liberal arts and general studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $8,788, which ranks 10th lowest of 24 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Washington. That works out to about $93 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Skagit Valley College liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in Washington?

Most do. 84% (64 of 76) were working in Washington one year after graduating.

Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public college
Mount Vernon, WA
About 305 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Skagit Valley College liberal arts and general studies graduates earn more than graduates of most liberal arts and general studies programs nationally, $30,437 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $8,788 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 Washington.

First-year earnings$30,43776th percentile of 728 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$38,12325% more than year one

Median federal debt$8,78810th lowest of 24 Washington programs

Debt-to-earnings29%Washington median 32%, national 38%

How it compares

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

	Skagit Valley College	Washington	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$30,437	$27,689	$27,139
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$38,123	$41,766	$40,284
Median federal debt at graduation	$8,788	$9,498	$10,864
Debt as share of first-year pay	29%	32%	38%
Programs compared		24	728

Five years out, Skagit Valley College graduates earn less than the national figure and about $3,643 less than the Washington median. Several Washington programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

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

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

Skagit Valley CollegeOther Washington 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 25% between the first and fifth year.

Skagit Valley College grads, year 1$30,437

Skagit Valley College grads, year 5$38,123

All Washington liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$41,766

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 $93 a month, or 3.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (37 borrowers)	Share
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%

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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

84% of graduates (64 of 76) were working in Washington one year after graduating. Prices in the Mount Vernon area are about 2% above the national average, so a $30,437 salary here buys what about $29,711 buys in a typical US city.

About Skagit Valley College

In-state tuition and fees	$5,400 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$7,500 / year
Average net price after aid	$6,064 / year
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	36%
Undergraduate students	2,477

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 4th of 4 associate's programs at Skagit Valley College by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($71,639), Allied Health and Medical Assisting ($43,072), and Mental Health and Addiction Services ($34,290).

Other liberal arts and general studies associate's programs near Mount Vernon

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Skagit Valley CollegeMount Vernon, WA · public		$30,437	$8,788
Whatcom Community CollegeBellingham, WA · public	26 mi	$27,020	$11,458
Everett Community CollegeEverett, WA · public	30 mi	$30,993	$8,125
Edmonds CollegeLynnwood, WA · public	43 mi	$21,520	$12,000
Cascadia CollegeBothell, WA · public	47 mi	$27,352	$7,000
Shoreline CollegeShoreline, WA · public	48 mi	$28,804	$8,895
Northwest UniversityKirkland, WA · private nonprofit	54 mi	$47,645	$12,000
Peninsula CollegePort Angeles, WA · public	56 mi	$23,117	$8,713
Seattle Central CollegeSeattle, WA · public	57 mi	$28,025	$9,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $30,437 one year after graduating and $38,123 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Washington is $27,689.

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 Washington 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 Washington, ranked24 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies associate's programs in the US, ranked728 programs by pay and debt All Skagit Valley College programs, ranked4 programs by pay and debt