Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Allen University

The numbers here raise serious red flags, though the small sample size means individual circumstances vary widely. Allen graduates with this degree earn $23,371 their first year—about $6,000 below even South Carolina's median for liberal arts programs and $13,000 below the national benchmark. Meanwhile, they're carrying nearly $40,000 in debt, roughly 50% more than typical borrowers in this field.

That debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.69 translates to owing nearly two years of gross income, making loan payments extremely difficult on an entry-level salary. Even among South Carolina's liberal arts programs, which generally trail national earnings, this ranks at just the 25th percentile. Allen serves a predominantly Pell-eligible student body (80%), and students are clearly taking on substantial debt to attend, but the post-graduation earnings don't support that borrowing level.

The small cohort size is worth noting—with fewer than 30 graduates tracked, a few outlier situations could skew these figures significantly. However, prospective families should recognize they'd be betting against rather stark odds. Unless your child has specific scholarship aid that dramatically reduces borrowing below $20,000, this combination of debt and earnings would make financial independence after graduation challenging for several years.