University of Washington 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
- Seattle, WA
- About 8 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
University of Washington liberal arts and general studies graduates earn less than graduates of most liberal arts and general studies programs nationally, $30,437 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $16,323 in federal loans, less than at 92% of liberal arts and general studies programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the Washington median of $35,398.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Washington and national columns are the medians across all liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, University of Washington graduates earn less than the national figure and about $5,494 less than the Washington median. Several Washington programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.
Debt and first-year pay at every Washington liberal arts and general studies program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Washington medians.
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 27% between the first and fifth year.
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 $3,300 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $173 a month, or 6.8% 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.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
91% of graduates (40 of 44) were working in Washington one year after graduating. Prices in the Seattle area are about 11% above the national average, so a $30,437 salary here buys what about $27,388 buys in a typical US city.
About University of Washington
Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 64th of 73 bachelor's programs at University of Washington by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($141,588), Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($135,384), and Computer Science ($128,887).
Other liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs near Seattle
Common questions
The median graduate earns $30,437 one year after graduating and $38,699 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs in Washington is $35,398.
The median federal loan balance is $16,323, which ranks the lowest of 5 liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs in Washington. That works out to about $173 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 54% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 73%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Washington programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.
Most do. 91% (40 of 44) were working in Washington one year after graduating.
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 Washington 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