Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Columbia University in the City of New York

Columbia's extraordinarily selective liberal arts program—with a 4% admission rate and SAT scores averaging 1547—produces estimated first-year earnings of just $35,817, barely matching the statewide median for this degree. This creates an awkward reality: families paying Ivy League tuition for a general studies degree are seeing their graduates start at income levels identical to far less selective schools across New York. The estimated $24,865 in debt is manageable relative to earnings, but the real cost here isn't captured in federal loan data—it's the lost opportunity cost of attending one of America's most prestigious universities for outcomes that peer programs in New York routinely exceed. Cornell's liberal arts graduates, for instance, earn an estimated $46,072 in their first year, nearly 30% more than Columbia's figures suggest.

The challenge with Columbia's program is less about debt burden and more about return on brand value. Similar general studies programs across New York demonstrate that this credential, regardless of institutional prestige, tends to plateau quickly in the job market. Columbia's name might open doors for networking and graduate school admissions that aren't reflected in these early earnings estimates, but families should be clear-eyed: if immediate financial return matters, this particular degree—even from an elite institution—starts conservatively. The program may serve students headed for law school or other graduate work exceptionally well, but as a standalone bachelor's degree, the estimated earnings suggest Columbia's liberal arts credential doesn't command the premium its admissions selectivity might imply.