Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from University of West Florida worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 49% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 38%. Compare the cost with other Florida programs before deciding.

University of West Florida Liberal Arts and General Studies (Associate's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

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

The median federal loan balance is $15,125, which ranks 29th lowest of 31 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Florida. That works out to about $160 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do University of West Florida liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in Florida?

Most do. 68% (17 of 25) were working in Florida one year after graduating.

Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public university
Pensacola, FL
About 539 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of West Florida liberal arts and general studies graduates earn more than graduates of most liberal arts and general studies programs nationally, $31,140 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $15,125 in federal loans, more than at 84% of liberal arts and general studies programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying liberal arts and general studies degrees in Florida.

First-year earnings$31,14081st percentile of 728 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$46,94651% more than year one

Median federal debt$15,12529th lowest of 31 Florida programs

Debt-to-earnings49%Florida median 33%, national 38%

How it compares

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

	University of West Florida	Florida	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$31,140	$26,978	$27,139
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$46,946	$42,236	$40,284
Median federal debt at graduation	$15,125	$9,000	$10,864
Debt as share of first-year pay	49%	33%	38%
Programs compared		32	728

Five years out, University of West Florida graduates earn more than the national figure and about $4,710 more than the Florida median.

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

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

University of West FloridaOther Florida 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.

University of West Florida grads, year 1$31,140

University of West Florida grads, year 5$46,946

All Florida liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$42,236

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 $160 a month, or 6.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

36 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $16,356.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

68% of graduates (17 of 25) were working in Florida one year after graduating. Prices in the Pensacola area are about 2% below the national average, so a $31,140 salary here buys what about $31,868 buys in a typical US city.

About University of West Florida

In-state tuition and fees	$6,360 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$19,241 / year
Average net price after aid	$9,364 / year
Admission rate	58%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	59%
Undergraduate students	9,330

Liberal Arts and General Studies is the only associate's program at University of West Florida that reports first-year earnings.

Other liberal arts and general studies associate's programs near Pensacola

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of West FloridaPensacola, FL · public		$31,140	$15,125
Pensacola State CollegePensacola, FL · public	5 mi	$26,671	$6,660
Columbia Southern UniversityOrange Beach, AL · private for-profit	30 mi	$55,667	$15,923
Coastal Alabama Community CollegeBay Minette, AL · public	39 mi	$22,329	$11,000
Northwest Florida State CollegeNiceville, FL · public	44 mi	$24,605	$6,750
Bishop State Community CollegeMobile, AL · public	51 mi	$22,764	$8,355

Common questions

The median graduate earns $31,140 one year after graduating and $46,946 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Florida is $26,978.

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 Florida 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 associate's programs in Florida, ranked32 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies associate's programs in the US, ranked728 programs by pay and debt All University of West Florida programs, ranked31 programs by pay and debt