Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from Spring Arbor University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 65% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 73%.

Spring Arbor University Liberal Arts and General Studies (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Spring Arbor University liberal arts and general studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $30,657, which ranks 7th lowest of 12 liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs in Michigan. That works out to about $325 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Spring Arbor University liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in Michigan?

Most do. 97% (29 of 30) were working in Michigan one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Private nonprofit university
Spring Arbor, MI
About 27 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Spring Arbor University liberal arts and general studies graduates earn more than graduates of most liberal arts and general studies programs nationally, $47,121 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $30,657 in federal loans, more than at 77% of liberal arts and general studies programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying liberal arts and general studies degrees in Michigan.

First-year earnings$47,12191st percentile of 395 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$49,4305% more than year one

Median federal debt$30,6577th lowest of 12 Michigan programs

Debt-to-earnings65%Michigan median 82%, national 73%

How it compares

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

	Spring Arbor University	Michigan	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$47,121	$37,904	$36,157
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$49,430	$52,125	$48,575
Median federal debt at graduation	$30,657	$30,255	$27,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	65%	82%	73%
Programs compared		12	395

Five years out, Spring Arbor University graduates earn about the national figure but about $2,695 less than the Michigan median. Several Michigan programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

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

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

Spring Arbor UniversityOther Michigan 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 5% between the first and fifth year.

Spring Arbor University grads, year 1$47,121

Spring Arbor University grads, year 5$49,430

All Michigan liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$52,125

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 $325 a month, or 8.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

97% of graduates (29 of 30) were working in Michigan one year after graduating. Prices in the Jackson area are about 8% below the national average, so a $47,121 salary here buys what about $51,342 buys in a typical US city.

About Spring Arbor University

Tuition and fees	$34,014 / year
Average net price after aid	$19,353 / year
Admission rate	52%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	64%
Undergraduate students	1,010

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 4th of 10 bachelor's programs at Spring Arbor University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($77,680), Accounting ($57,710), and Business Administration ($51,204).

Other liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs near Spring Arbor

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Spring Arbor UniversitySpring Arbor, MI · private nonprofit		$47,121	$30,657
Siena Heights UniversityAdrian, MI · private nonprofit	35 mi	$44,746	$27,137
Michigan StateEast Lansing, MI · public	37 mi	$30,916	$27,312
University of MichiganAnn Arbor, MI · public	42 mi	$38,065	$20,728
Baker CollegeOwosso, MI · private nonprofit	57 mi	$42,426	$44,313

Common questions

The median graduate earns $47,121 one year after graduating and $49,430 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs in Michigan is $37,904.

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 Michigan 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 Michigan, ranked12 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies bachelor's programs in the US, ranked395 programs by pay and debt All Spring Arbor University programs, ranked10 programs by pay and debt