Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from Virginia Western Community College 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 Virginia programs before deciding.

Virginia Western Community College Liberal Arts and General Studies (Associate's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Virginia Western Community College liberal arts and general studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $10,900, which ranks 18th lowest of 20 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Virginia. That works out to about $116 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Virginia Western Community College liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in Virginia?

Most do. 98% (50 of 51) were working in Virginia one year after graduating.

Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public college
Roanoke, VA
About 94 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Virginia Western Community College liberal arts and general studies graduates earn less than graduates of most liberal arts and general studies programs nationally, $22,071 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $10,900 in federal loans, close to the national median of $10,864. Several Virginia programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$22,07114th percentile of 728 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$35,44361% more than year one

Median federal debt$10,90018th lowest of 20 Virginia programs

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

How it compares

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

	Virginia Western Community College	Virginia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$22,071	$24,984	$27,139
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$35,443	$37,594	$40,284
Median federal debt at graduation	$10,900	$9,000	$10,864
Debt as share of first-year pay	49%	33%	38%
Programs compared		20	728

Five years out, Virginia Western Community College graduates earn less than the national figure and about $2,151 less than the Virginia median.

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

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

Virginia Western Community CollegeOther Virginia 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 61% between the first and fifth year.

Virginia Western Community College grads, year 1$22,071

Virginia Western Community College grads, year 5$35,443

All Virginia liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$37,594

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 $116 a month, or 6.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

98% of graduates (50 of 51) were working in Virginia one year after graduating. Prices in the Roanoke area are about 6% below the national average, so a $22,071 salary here buys what about $23,576 buys in a typical US city.

About Virginia Western Community College

In-state tuition and fees	$5,400 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$11,838 / year
Average net price after aid	$4,966 / year
Graduation rate (within 1.5 times the normal program length)	40%
Undergraduate students	3,898

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 8th of 9 associate's programs at Virginia Western Community College by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($64,052), Dental Hygiene and Assisting ($61,030), and Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($54,480).

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

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Virginia Western Community CollegeRoanoke, VA · public		$22,071	$10,900
Patrick & Henry Community CollegeMartinsville, VA · public	35 mi	$20,681	$9,000
New River Community CollegeDublin, VA · public	41 mi	$25,694	$10,600
Central Virginia Community CollegeLynchburg, VA · public	44 mi	$19,393	$9,811
Danville Community CollegeDanville, VA · public	56 mi	$28,056	$9,397

Common questions

The median graduate earns $22,071 one year after graduating and $35,443 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in Virginia is $24,984.

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 Virginia 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 Virginia, ranked20 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies associate's programs in the US, ranked728 programs by pay and debt All Virginia Western Community College programs, ranked19 programs by pay and debt