How much debt do UAB liberal arts and general studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $28,500, which ranks 3rd lowest of 5 liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs in Alabama. That works out to about $302 a month over 10 years.

Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from UAB worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 70% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 73%.

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

Q: Do UAB liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in Alabama?

Most do. 88% (70 of 80) were working in Alabama one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public university
Birmingham, AL
About 97 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UAB liberal arts and general studies graduates earn about what liberal arts and general studies graduates earn nationally, $40,968 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $28,500 in federal loans, close to the national median of $27,000. One other Alabama program reports higher pay.

First-year earnings$40,96872nd percentile of 395 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$50,13722% more than year one

Median federal debt$28,5003rd lowest of 5 Alabama programs

Debt-to-earnings70%Alabama median 89%, national 73%

How it compares

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

	UAB	Alabama	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$40,968	$30,939	$36,157
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$50,137	$42,242	$48,575
Median federal debt at graduation	$28,500	$29,750	$27,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	70%	89%	73%
Programs compared		5	395

Five years out, UAB graduates earn more than the national figure and about $7,896 more than the Alabama median.

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

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

UABOther Alabama 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 22% between the first and fifth year.

UAB grads, year 1$40,968

UAB grads, year 5$50,137

All Alabama liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$42,242

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 about the same in their first year as other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $31,125 against $17,750.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$40,230Median debt $31,125

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$41,285Median debt $17,750

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $302 a month, or 8.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (48 borrowers)	Share
Paused payments (forbearance)	40–59%

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, 21 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $17,180.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

88% of graduates (70 of 80) were working in Alabama one year after graduating. Prices in the Birmingham area are about 8% below the national average, so a $40,968 salary here buys what about $44,703 buys in a typical US city.

About UAB

In-state tuition and fees	$9,098 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$22,562 / year
Average net price after aid	$18,749 / year
Admission rate	88%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	64%
Undergraduate students	11,635

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 15th of 31 bachelor's programs at UAB by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($76,151), Computer and Information Science ($69,633), and Materials Engineering ($69,498).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $40,968 one year after graduating and $50,137 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs in Alabama is $30,939.

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 Alabama 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 Alabama, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies bachelor's programs in the US, ranked395 programs by pay and debt All UAB programs, ranked31 programs by pay and debt