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

A selective liberal arts college charging typical New York debt loads but producing below-market returns—that's the tension at Colgate's general studies program. Data from comparable New York programs suggest first-year earnings around $35,800 against nearly $25,000 in debt, a ratio that looks manageable on paper but tells only part of the story. When peer liberal arts programs in the state—even at similarly selective schools like Union College—show outcomes closer to $45,000, and Cornell's liberal arts graduates start at $46,000, the estimated baseline here raises questions about what exactly students are paying for at a school with a 12% admission rate.

The debt figure itself isn't alarming, sitting right at the state median for this credential. But coupling it with earnings that barely match the national median creates a practical problem: graduates would be dedicating roughly 70% of first-year income to a year's worth of debt, leaving limited breathing room for the financial realities recent graduates face. For families paying private school tuition at one of New York's most selective institutions, discovering that outcomes track closer to the state median than to top-tier competitors should prompt serious conversations about whether the Colgate premium delivers proportional career advantage—or whether this particular major simply doesn't capture what the school does best for its graduates.