Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from Southern Connecticut State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 74% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 73%. Compare the cost with other Connecticut programs before deciding.

Southern Connecticut State Liberal Arts and General Studies (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Southern Connecticut State liberal arts and general studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,625, which ranks 6th lowest of 8 liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs in Connecticut. That works out to about $282 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Southern Connecticut State liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in Connecticut?

Most do. 92% (296 of 321) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public university
New Haven, CT
About 128 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Southern Connecticut State liberal arts and general studies graduates earn about what liberal arts and general studies graduates earn nationally, $36,168 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,625 in federal loans, close to the national median of $27,000. Several Connecticut programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$36,16850th percentile of 395 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$47,91832% more than year one

Median federal debt$26,6256th lowest of 8 Connecticut programs

Debt-to-earnings74%Connecticut median 58%, national 73%

How it compares

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

	Southern Connecticut State	Connecticut	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$36,168	$42,807	$36,157
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$47,918	$57,594	$48,575
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,625	$25,373	$27,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	74%	58%	73%
Programs compared		8	395

Five years out, Southern Connecticut State graduates earn about the national figure but about $9,676 less than the Connecticut median.

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

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

Southern Connecticut StateOther Connecticut 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.

Southern Connecticut State grads, year 1$36,168

Southern Connecticut State grads, year 5$47,918

All Connecticut liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$57,594

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 $2,897 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$35,097Median debt $27,245

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$37,994Median debt $24,740

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $282 a month, or 9.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (383 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	5% or less
Paying down the balance	20–24%
Paused payments (forbearance)	25–29%
In default	5% 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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

92% of graduates (296 of 321) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating. Prices in the New Haven area are about 5% above the national average, so a $36,168 salary here buys what about $34,591 buys in a typical US city.

About Southern Connecticut State

In-state tuition and fees	$13,438 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$27,378 / year
Average net price after aid	$20,857 / year
Admission rate	91%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	50%
Undergraduate students	6,295

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 10th of 22 bachelor's programs at Southern Connecticut State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($87,795), Computer and Information Science ($58,480), and Special Education ($50,641).

Other liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs near New Haven

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Southern Connecticut StateNew Haven, CT · public		$36,168	$26,625
Yale UniversityNew Haven, CT · private nonprofit	2 mi	$61,133	$15,750
University of BridgeportBridgeport, CT · private nonprofit	17 mi	$43,743	$32,147
Wesleyan UniversityMiddletown, CT · private nonprofit	21 mi	$39,764	$16,125
Charter Oak State CollegeNew Britain, CT · public	25 mi	$44,615	$25,000
Western Connecticut StateDanbury, CT · public	26 mi	$27,784	$26,782
SUNY Purchase CollegePurchase, NY · public	44 mi	$25,197	$25,000
Eastern Connecticut StateWillimantic, CT · public	46 mi	$41,870	$25,373
UConnStorrs, CT · public	49 mi	$44,240	$22,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $36,168 one year after graduating and $47,918 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs in Connecticut is $42,807.

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 Connecticut 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 bachelor's programs in Connecticut, ranked8 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies bachelor's programs in the US, ranked395 programs by pay and debt All Southern Connecticut State programs, ranked22 programs by pay and debt