U.S. median for this major: $52,601.
College Scorecard field of study; 239 graduates with earnings reported
Median for graduates who received federal aid.
College Scorecard field of study
About 54% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $27,000.
College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $26,146. College Scorecard.
BSU Liberal Arts / General Studies: pay against the field, and payback
Same major, other colleges
Median earnings 4 years after graduating; state and U.S. figures are the median of each covered college's graduates in this major. College Scorecard; calculated by EducationGuide.
Liberal Arts / General Studies nationally: jobs, pay at ages 25-34, every state →
Cost to finish and years to pay back, by income
Uses BSU's school-wide net price (no college reports it by major) and this major's graduate earnings.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $7,834 | $32,981 | 2.3 years |
| $30–48k | $9,848 | $41,460 | 2.9 years |
| $48–75k | $14,333 | $60,342 | 4.3 years |
| $75–110k | $19,567 | $82,377 | 5.8 years |
| $110k+ | $23,479 | $98,847 | 7.0 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (51% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of Liberal Arts / General Studies graduates 4 years after graduating ($49,657) minus $35,534 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IN (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $14,123 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard; IPEDS Graduation Rates; U.S. Census Bureau ACS. Calculated by EducationGuide.
Liberal Arts / General Studies at Indiana colleges
Every Indiana college we cover that reports Liberal Arts / General Studies graduate earnings, highest first. Net price is the school-wide average after grants. Colleges marked "mostly 2-year" or "bachelor's & associate" award more associate degrees than bachelor's; their bachelor's programs often serve working adults finishing a degree (for example, nurses completing a BSN), so their graduates' earnings can run higher than those of students starting college at 18.
| Rank | College | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt | Avg. net price | Graduation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Indianapolis | $64,325 | $31,000 | $21,602 | 56% |
| 2 | Valparaiso University | $60,612 | — | $18,578 | 70% |
| 3 | University of Notre Dame | $60,369 | $18,800 | $26,780 | 95% |
| 4 | Indiana University-East | $53,389 | $29,072 | $8,134 | 40% |
| 5 | University of Southern Indianabachelor's & associate | $53,076 | $17,707 | $12,923 | 48% |
| 6 | Indiana Wesleyan University-Marion | $52,784 | $27,000 | $22,866 | 67% |
| 7 | Indiana University-Bloomington | $52,020 | $22,842 | $16,264 | 80% |
| 8 | Indiana University-Indianapolis | $51,718 | $29,000 | $11,668 | 54% |
| 9 | Purdue University Northwest | $51,349 | $29,517 | $6,079 | 43% |
| 10 | Indiana State University | $50,968 | $28,750 | $10,873 | 43% |
| 11 | Indiana University-Kokomo | $49,893 | $24,236 | $3,968 | 46% |
| 12 | Ball State University | $49,657 | $26,965 | $14,940 | 62% |
| 13 | Indiana University-Southeast | $49,376 | $28,948 | $7,888 | 39% |
| 14 | Indiana University-South Bend | $48,815 | $25,319 | $8,653 | 40% |
| 15 | Indiana University-Northwest | $47,530 | $31,000 | $5,130 | 37% |
| 16 | Bethel University | $45,366 | $25,000 | $18,610 | 53% |
| 17 | Purdue University Fort Wayne | $44,299 | $24,106 | $13,171 | 36% |
| 18 | Anderson University | $41,966 | $29,440 | $25,021 | 54% |
17 more Indiana colleges offer Liberal Arts / General Studies but have too few graduates to report earnings.
What families pay at BSU, by income
School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.
College Scorecard
About BSU
- Acceptance rate: 86% · admissions
- Graduation rate: 62% within 6 years
- Median earnings, all majors, 10 years after starting: $51,833
- Full cost breakdown · all 90 majors · overview
Related majors at BSU
- English$38,676
- History$50,838
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$51,294
- Philosophy—
- Area Studies—
BSU Liberal Arts / General Studies questions
How much do BSU Liberal Arts / General Studies graduates earn?
Liberal Arts / General Studies graduates of Ball State University earn a median $49,657 four years after graduating and $35,269 one year after. The U.S. median for Liberal Arts / General Studies graduates across 467 colleges is $52,601.
How much debt do BSU Liberal Arts / General Studies graduates have?
The median federal loan debt for Liberal Arts / General Studies graduates of Ball State University is $26,965, about 54% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $27,000.
Is BSU a good school for Liberal Arts / General Studies in Indiana?
On pay, Liberal Arts / General Studies graduates of Ball State University earn $49,657 four years out, $1,692 below the median for the same major across 19 Indiana colleges ($51,349) and $2,944 below the U.S. median ($52,601). Medians of each college's graduates; EducationGuide calculation from College Scorecard.
Where does BSU rank for Liberal Arts / General Studies in Indiana?
Of 18 Indiana colleges reporting Liberal Arts / General Studies graduate earnings, Ball State University ranks 12th; among the 17 that mostly award bachelor's degrees it ranks 11th. The highest is University of Indianapolis at $64,325.
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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (field of study: median earnings and federal loan debt of graduates who received federal aid); BLS. How we score
Data: JSON · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Ball State University Liberal Arts / General Studies: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/ball-state-university/majors/liberal-arts-general-studies (College Scorecard and BLS data).