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

The median federal loan balance is $18,800, which ranks 2nd lowest of 17 liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs in Indiana. That works out to about $199 a month over 10 years.

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

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 41% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 73%.

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

Bachelor's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Private nonprofit university
Notre Dame, IN
About 35 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Notre Dame liberal arts and general studies graduates earn more than graduates of most liberal arts and general studies programs nationally, $45,579 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $18,800 in federal loans, less than at 88% of liberal arts and general studies programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying liberal arts and general studies degrees in Indiana.

First-year earnings$45,57987th percentile of 395 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$87,62092% more than year one

Median federal debt$18,8002nd lowest of 17 Indiana programs

Debt-to-earnings41%Indiana median 73%, national 73%

How it compares

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

	Notre Dame	Indiana	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$45,579	$35,853	$36,157
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$87,620	$47,380	$48,575
Median federal debt at graduation	$18,800	$27,000	$27,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	41%	73%	73%
Programs compared		18	395

Five years out, Notre Dame graduates earn more than the national figure and about $40,240 more than the Indiana median.

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

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

Notre DameOther Indiana 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 92% between the first and fifth year.

Notre Dame grads, year 1$45,579

Notre Dame grads, year 5$87,620

All Indiana liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$47,380

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 $199 a month, or 5.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (25 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the South Bend area are about 7% below the national average, so a $45,579 salary here buys what about $49,085 buys in a typical US city.

About Notre Dame

Tuition and fees	$65,025 / year
Average net price after aid	$26,780 / year
Admission rate	11%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	95%
Undergraduate students	8,818

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 25th of 32 bachelor's programs at Notre Dame by first-year earnings. The top three are Finance ($99,222), Computer and Information Science ($96,517), and Other Mathematics ($89,689).

Other liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs near Notre Dame

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Notre DameNotre Dame, IN · private nonprofit		$45,579	$18,800
IU South BendSouth Bend, IN · public	3 mi	$33,716	$25,319
Bethel University (Indiana)Mishawaka, IN · private nonprofit	3 mi	$31,754	$25,000
IU NorthwestGary, IN · public	58 mi	$37,035	$31,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $45,579 one year after graduating and $87,620 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs in Indiana is $35,853.

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 Indiana 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 Indiana, ranked18 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies bachelor's programs in the US, ranked395 programs by pay and debt All Notre Dame programs, ranked32 programs by pay and debt