Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at College of Southern Idaho

College of Southern Idaho's liberal arts associate degree sits in an unusual spot: it outperforms most programs nationally but lags behind other Idaho options. Graduates earn $28,658 in their first year—better than 61% of similar programs across the country—yet this ranks in just the 40th percentile among Idaho's 10 schools offering this degree. That's not necessarily a dealbreaker, but it means your student could potentially earn $2,000-$12,000 more annually by choosing programs at College of Western Idaho, Lewis-Clark State, or Boise State.

The positive side? CSI keeps debt remarkably low at $8,603, well below Idaho's $14,102 median for this program. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.30 is manageable—graduates can expect to pay off loans within about four months of work. Earnings also show healthy growth of 13% by year four, reaching $32,312. For students planning to transfer to a four-year school (the typical path for associate liberal arts degrees), this provides a solid, affordable foundation without crushing debt.

If your child is committed to staying in Twin Falls or values CSI's specific transfer agreements, this program works fine—the debt burden won't haunt them. But if flexibility exists, the earnings gap compared to other Idaho community colleges is worth exploring, especially since most offer similarly low debt loads.