Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from University of Massachusetts Global worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 75% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 73%. Compare the cost with other California programs before deciding.

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

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

The median federal loan balance is $27,608, which ranks 31st lowest of 34 liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $293 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do University of Massachusetts Global liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in California?

Most do. 85% (72 of 85) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public university
Aliso Viejo, CA
About 76 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Massachusetts Global liberal arts and general studies graduates earn about what liberal arts and general studies graduates earn nationally, $36,875 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,608 in federal loans, close to the national median of $27,000. It is one of the higher-paying liberal arts and general studies degrees in California.

First-year earnings$36,87554th percentile of 395 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$59,10160% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,60831st lowest of 34 California programs

Debt-to-earnings75%California median 55%, national 73%

How it compares

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

	University of Massachusetts Global	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$36,875	$30,619	$36,157
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$59,101	$55,458	$48,575
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,608	$16,468	$27,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	75%	55%	73%
Programs compared		34	395

Five years out, University of Massachusetts Global graduates earn more than the national figure and about $3,644 more than the California median.

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

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

University of Massachusetts GlobalOther California 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 60% between the first and fifth year.

University of Massachusetts Global grads, year 1$36,875

University of Massachusetts Global grads, year 5$59,101

All California liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$55,458

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 $293 a month, or 9.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (117 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	10–19%
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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

85% of graduates (72 of 85) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Los Angeles area are about 14% above the national average, so a $36,875 salary here buys what about $32,470 buys in a typical US city.

About University of Massachusetts Global

Tuition and fees	$12,540 / year
Average net price after aid	$32,654 / year
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	43%
Undergraduate students	4,491

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 6th of 7 bachelor's programs at University of Massachusetts Global by first-year earnings. The top three are Human Resources ($65,673), Business Administration ($61,268), and Criminology ($42,698).

Other liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs near Aliso Viejo

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of Massachusetts GlobalAliso Viejo, CA · public		$36,875	$27,608
Soka University of AmericaAliso Viejo, CA · private nonprofit	2 mi	$19,776	$18,750
Concordia University-IrvineIrvine, CA · private nonprofit	7 mi	$22,652	$26,000
Cal State FullertonFullerton, CA · public	23 mi	$24,706	$13,535
Cal State Long BeachLong Beach, CA · public	26 mi	$31,802	$15,500
California Baptist UniversityRiverside, CA · private nonprofit	30 mi	$33,793	$28,587
Cal Poly PomonaPomona, CA · public	33 mi	$25,168	$13,750
UC RiversideRiverside, CA · public	35 mi	$23,203	$16,436
University of La VerneLa Verne, CA · private nonprofit	36 mi	$25,945	$23,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $36,875 one year after graduating and $59,101 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs in California is $30,619.

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 California 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 California, ranked34 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 Massachusetts Global programs, ranked7 programs by pay and debt