How much debt do UW-Oshkosh liberal arts and general studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $31,154, which ranks 5th lowest of 7 liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs in Wisconsin. That works out to about $330 a month over 10 years.

Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from UW-Oshkosh worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 62% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 73%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less.

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

Q: Do UW-Oshkosh liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in Wisconsin?

Most do. 76% (29 of 38) were working in Wisconsin one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public university
Oshkosh, WI
About 21 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UW-Oshkosh liberal arts and general studies graduates earn more than graduates of most liberal arts and general studies programs nationally, $50,438 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $31,154 in federal loans, more than at 86% of liberal arts and general studies programs in the country. One other Wisconsin program reports higher pay.

First-year earnings$50,43894th percentile of 395 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$60,61920% more than year one

Median federal debt$31,1545th lowest of 7 Wisconsin programs

Debt-to-earnings62%Wisconsin median 68%, national 73%

How it compares

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

	UW-Oshkosh	Wisconsin	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$50,438	$43,714	$36,157
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$60,619	$49,276	$48,575
Median federal debt at graduation	$31,154	$29,000	$27,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	62%	68%	73%
Programs compared		7	395

Five years out, UW-Oshkosh graduates earn more than the national figure and about $11,344 more than the Wisconsin median.

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

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

UW-OshkoshOther Wisconsin 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 20% between the first and fifth year.

UW-Oshkosh grads, year 1$50,438

UW-Oshkosh grads, year 5$60,619

All Wisconsin liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$49,276

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 $330 a month, or 7.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (54 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
In default	20% 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

76% of graduates (29 of 38) were working in Wisconsin one year after graduating. Prices in the Oshkosh area are about 7% below the national average, so a $50,438 salary here buys what about $54,276 buys in a typical US city.

About UW-Oshkosh

In-state tuition and fees	$8,532 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$16,446 / year
Average net price after aid	$14,305 / year
Admission rate	87%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	46%
Undergraduate students	6,877

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 13th of 32 bachelor's programs at UW-Oshkosh by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($76,187), Nursing ($71,633), and Management Information Systems ($63,544).

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

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UW-OshkoshOshkosh, WI · public		$50,438	$31,154
Ripon CollegeRipon, WI · private nonprofit	19 mi	$34,731	$27,000
UW-Green BayGreen Bay, WI · public	47 mi	$54,436	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $50,438 one year after graduating and $60,619 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs in Wisconsin is $43,714.

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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin, ranked7 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies bachelor's programs in the US, ranked395 programs by pay and debt All UW-Oshkosh programs, ranked33 programs by pay and debt