How much debt do Utah State liberal arts and general studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $11,000, which ranks 6th lowest of 7 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Utah. That works out to about $117 a month over 10 years.

Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from Utah State worth it?

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

Do Utah State liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in Utah?

Most do. 81% (245 of 301) were working in Utah one year after graduating.

Utah State Liberal Arts and General Studies (Associate's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public university
Logan, UT
About 821 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Utah State liberal arts and general studies graduates earn about what liberal arts and general studies graduates earn nationally, $28,782 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $11,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $10,864. Two other Utah programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$28,78266th percentile of 728 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$40,70741% more than year one

Median federal debt$11,0006th lowest of 7 Utah programs

Debt-to-earnings38%Utah median 36%, national 38%

How it compares

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

	Utah State	Utah	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$28,782	$28,089	$27,139
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$40,707	$45,116	$40,284
Median federal debt at graduation	$11,000	$9,000	$10,864
Debt as share of first-year pay	38%	36%	38%
Programs compared		7	728

Five years out, Utah State graduates earn about the national figure but about $4,409 less than the Utah median.

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

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

Utah StateOther Utah 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 41% between the first and fifth year.

Utah State grads, year 1$28,782

Utah State grads, year 5$40,707

All Utah liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$45,116

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 more in their first year than other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $11,415 against $9,273.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$28,988Median debt $11,415

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$26,195Median debt $9,273

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $117 a month, or 4.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (136 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10–19%
Paying down the balance	20–29%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10–19%
In default	10% 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

81% of graduates (245 of 301) were working in Utah one year after graduating. Prices in the Logan area are about 4% below the national average, so a $28,782 salary here buys what about $30,004 buys in a typical US city.

About Utah State

In-state tuition and fees	$9,228 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$24,802 / year
Average net price after aid	$14,936 / year
Admission rate	92%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	59%
Undergraduate students	20,272

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 2nd of 2 associate's programs at Utah State by first-year earnings. The other is Nursing ($55,007).

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

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Utah StateLogan, UT · public		$28,782	$11,000
Weber StateOgden, UT · public	38 mi	$34,165	$13,054

Common questions

The median graduate earns $28,782 one year after graduating and $40,707 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Utah is $28,089.

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 Utah 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 Utah, ranked7 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies associate's programs in the US, ranked728 programs by pay and debt All Utah State programs, ranked54 programs by pay and debt