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

  • Bachelor's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
  • Public university
  • Denton, TX
  • About 405 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UNT liberal arts and general studies graduates earn about what liberal arts and general studies graduates earn nationally, $36,588 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $22,254 in federal loans, less than at 79% 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 Texas.

First-year earnings$36,58852nd percentile of 395 programs nationally
Earnings after 5 years$55,22651% more than year one
Median federal debt$22,2544th lowest of 25 Texas programs
Debt-to-earnings61%Texas median 71%, national 73%

How it compares

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

Five years out, UNT graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the Texas median.

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

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

UNTOther Texas 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 51% between the first and fifth year.

UNT grads, year 1$36,588
UNT grads, year 5$55,226
All Texas liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$54,028

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 $2,841 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$36,059Median debt $25,000
Other graduates, year 1 earnings$38,900Median debt $16,299

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $236 a month, or 7.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

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, 308 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $20,695.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

90% of graduates (719 of 799) were working in Texas one year after graduating. Prices in the Dallas area are about 3% above the national average, so a $36,588 salary here buys what about $35,491 buys in a typical US city.

About UNT

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 35th of 60 bachelor's programs at UNT by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($78,714), Electrical Engineering ($75,265), and Construction Engineering Technology ($72,266).

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

Common questions

The median graduate earns $36,588 one year after graduating and $55,226 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs in Texas is $38,829.

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 Texas 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

  1. U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
  2. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
  3. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
  4. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

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