Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from Wayne Community College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 21% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 38%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several North Carolina programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

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

The median federal loan balance is $5,500, which ranks the lowest of 39 liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in North Carolina. That works out to about $58 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Wayne Community College liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in North Carolina?

Most do. 92% (58 of 63) were working in North Carolina one year after graduating.

Associate's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public college
Goldsboro, NC
About 215 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Wayne Community College liberal arts and general studies graduates earn about what liberal arts and general studies graduates earn nationally, $26,028 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $5,500 in federal loans, less than at 95% of liberal arts and general studies programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying liberal arts and general studies degrees in North Carolina.

First-year earnings$26,02841st percentile of 728 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$39,30251% more than year one

Median federal debt$5,500The lowest of 39 North Carolina programs

Debt-to-earnings21%North Carolina median 28%, national 38%

How it compares

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

	Wayne Community College	North Carolina	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$26,028	$26,838	$27,139
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$39,302	$36,186	$40,284
Median federal debt at graduation	$5,500	$7,500	$10,864
Debt as share of first-year pay	21%	28%	38%
Programs compared		49	728

Five years out, Wayne Community College graduates earn about the national figure and about $3,116 more than the North Carolina median.

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

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

Wayne Community CollegeOther North Carolina 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.

Wayne Community College grads, year 1$26,028

Wayne Community College grads, year 5$39,302

All North Carolina liberal arts and general studies grads, year 5$36,186

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 $58 a month, or 2.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

92% of graduates (58 of 63) were working in North Carolina one year after graduating. Prices in the Goldsboro area are about 12% below the national average, so a $26,028 salary here buys what about $29,423 buys in a typical US city.

About Wayne Community College

In-state tuition and fees	$2,566 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$8,710 / year
Average net price after aid	$2,245 / year
Graduation rate (within 1.5 times the normal program length)	49%
Undergraduate students	2,739

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 3rd of 4 associate's programs at Wayne Community College by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($61,774), Accounting ($32,979), and Liberal Arts and General Studies ($26,028).

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

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Wayne Community CollegeGoldsboro, NC · public		$26,028	$5,500
University of Mount OliveMount Olive, NC · private nonprofit	15 mi	$35,452	$27,562
Wilson Community CollegeWilson, NC · public	23 mi	$23,530	$10,000
Johnston Community CollegeSmithfield, NC · public	23 mi	$25,872	$5,812
Lenoir Community CollegeKinston, NC · public	24 mi	$33,374	$9,118
James Sprunt Community CollegeKenansville, NC · public	32 mi	$25,999	$11,278
Nash Community CollegeRocky Mount, NC · public	40 mi	$26,973	$12,750
Wake Technical Community CollegeRaleigh, NC · public	46 mi	$30,373	$11,000
Craven Community CollegeNew Bern, NC · public	52 mi	$28,745	$7,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $26,028 one year after graduating and $39,302 five years after. The median across liberal arts and general studies associate's programs in North Carolina is $26,838.

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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina, ranked49 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies associate's programs in the US, ranked728 programs by pay and debt All Wayne Community College programs, ranked7 programs by pay and debt