Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Eastern Arizona College

Eastern Arizona College's liberal arts associate program sits in an unusual position: exceptionally low debt combined with below-average earnings for Arizona students. At $5,500 in median debt—among the lowest 5% nationally and well below Arizona's typical $10,332—graduates leave with minimal financial burden. The catch? First-year earnings of $26,145 trail the state median by nearly $5,000 and rank in just the 25th percentile among Arizona community colleges.

The 27% earnings jump to $33,151 by year four suggests graduates eventually find their footing, but they're still earning roughly $10,000 less than peers from Mesa Community College or Yavapai College. This gap matters because Arizona's community college landscape shows considerable variation—top performers in the state generate starting salaries approaching $46,000 for similar associate degrees in liberal arts.

The remarkably low debt changes the calculation significantly. With a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.21, graduates can realistically pay off their loans within months rather than years, giving them flexibility that peers carrying $10,000+ in debt don't have. If your child plans to use this as a stepping stone to a bachelor's degree or needs an affordable start while sorting out career direction, the minimal debt burden offers genuine value. But if this is the terminal degree and immediate earnings matter, other Arizona community colleges deliver substantially better returns.