Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from University of Central Oklahoma worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 71% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 73%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 5% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Oklahoma programs report higher pay.

University of Central Oklahoma Liberal Arts and General Studies (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do University of Central Oklahoma liberal arts and general studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 6th lowest of 11 liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs in Oklahoma. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do University of Central Oklahoma liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in Oklahoma?

Most do. 85% (182 of 215) were working in Oklahoma one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public university
Edmond, OK
About 195 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Central Oklahoma liberal arts and general studies graduates earn about what liberal arts and general studies graduates earn nationally, $37,786 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $27,000. Several Oklahoma programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$37,78658th percentile of 395 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$49,22330% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,0006th lowest of 11 Oklahoma programs

Debt-to-earnings71%Oklahoma median 69%, national 73%

How it compares

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

	University of Central Oklahoma	Oklahoma	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$37,786	$37,786	$36,157
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$49,223	$44,083	$48,575
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$26,595	$27,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	71%	69%	73%
Programs compared		11	395

Five years out, University of Central Oklahoma graduates earn about the national figure and about $5,140 more than the Oklahoma median.

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

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

University of Central OklahomaOther Oklahoma 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 30% between the first and fifth year.

University of Central Oklahoma grads, year 1$37,786

University of Central Oklahoma grads, year 5$49,223

All Oklahoma liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$44,083

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 $30,575 against $19,005.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$37,792Median debt $30,575

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$37,207Median debt $19,005

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 9.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (256 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	5% or less
Paying down the balance	20–24%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–24%
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. Separately, 39 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $16,035.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

85% of graduates (182 of 215) were working in Oklahoma one year after graduating. Prices in the Oklahoma City area are about 10% below the national average, so a $37,786 salary here buys what about $41,795 buys in a typical US city.

About University of Central Oklahoma

In-state tuition and fees	$8,818 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$19,704 / year
Average net price after aid	$18,309 / year
Admission rate	78%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	37%
Undergraduate students	10,170

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 21st of 35 bachelor's programs at University of Central Oklahoma by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($71,438), Mechanical Engineering ($71,362), and Electrical Engineering ($69,156).

Other liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs near Edmond

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of Central OklahomaEdmond, OK · public		$37,786	$27,000
Southern Nazarene UniversityBethany, OK · private nonprofit	13 mi	$23,445	$30,754
Langston UniversityLangston, OK · public	23 mi	$35,510	$31,000
Randall UniversityMoore, OK · private nonprofit	25 mi	$38,244	$30,786
University of Oklahoma-Norman CampusNorman, OK · public	31 mi	$45,726	$27,000
Oklahoma StateStillwater, OK · public	39 mi	$37,938	$26,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $37,786 one year after graduating and $49,223 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs in Oklahoma is $37,786.

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 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma, ranked11 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies bachelor's programs in the US, ranked395 programs by pay and debt All University of Central Oklahoma programs, ranked35 programs by pay and debt