Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from Southwestern Illinois College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 28% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 38%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 10% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Illinois programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

Q: How much debt do Southwestern Illinois College liberal arts and general studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $7,248, which ranks 11th lowest of 40 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Illinois. That works out to about $77 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Southwestern Illinois College liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in Illinois?

Most do. 82% (84 of 103) were working in Illinois one year after graduating.

Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public college
Belleville, IL
About 423 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Southwestern Illinois College liberal arts and general studies graduates earn about what liberal arts and general studies graduates earn nationally, $25,513 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $7,248 in federal loans, less than at 86% 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 Illinois.

First-year earnings$25,51336th percentile of 728 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$39,90656% more than year one

Median federal debt$7,24811th lowest of 40 Illinois programs

Debt-to-earnings28%Illinois median 30%, national 38%

How it compares

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

	Southwestern Illinois College	Illinois	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$25,513	$27,529	$27,139
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$39,906	$41,215	$40,284
Median federal debt at graduation	$7,248	$8,100	$10,864
Debt as share of first-year pay	28%	30%	38%
Programs compared		41	728

Five years out, Southwestern Illinois College graduates earn about the national figure but about $1,309 less than the Illinois median. Several Illinois programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

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

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

Southwestern Illinois CollegeOther Illinois 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 56% between the first and fifth year.

Southwestern Illinois College grads, year 1$25,513

Southwestern Illinois College grads, year 5$39,906

All Illinois liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$41,215

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, but borrowed more: a median of $8,250 against $5,500.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$27,613Median debt $8,250

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$16,938Median debt $5,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $77 a month, or 3.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (140 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	20–29%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–29%
In default	10% 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, 25 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $9,710.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

82% of graduates (84 of 103) were working in Illinois one year after graduating. Prices in the St. Louis area are about 5% below the national average, so a $25,513 salary here buys what about $26,831 buys in a typical US city.

About Southwestern Illinois College

In-district tuition and fees	$3,960 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$6,720 / year
Average net price after aid	$10,427 / year
Graduation rate (within 1.5 times the normal program length)	36%
Undergraduate students	5,675

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 6th of 6 associate's programs at Southwestern Illinois College by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($65,290), Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($57,296), and Information Technology ($46,355).

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

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Southwestern Illinois CollegeBelleville, IL · public		$25,513	$7,248
Saint Louis Community CollegeBridgeton, MO · public	32 mi	$25,841	$8,000
Lewis and Clark Community CollegeGodfrey, IL · public	33 mi	$22,167	$7,500
Jefferson CollegeHillsboro, MO · public	39 mi	$24,813	$8,250
Kaskaskia CollegeCentralia, IL · public	40 mi	$30,605	$7,500
St Charles Community CollegeCottleville, MO · public	42 mi	$25,968	$6,500
Mineral Area CollegePark Hills, MO · public	55 mi	$25,462	$8,273
East Central CollegeUnion, MO · public	57 mi	$28,037	$8,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $25,513 one year after graduating and $39,906 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Illinois is $27,529.

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 Illinois 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 Illinois, ranked41 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies associate's programs in the US, ranked728 programs by pay and debt All Southwestern Illinois College programs, ranked9 programs by pay and debt