Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at El Paso Community College

El Paso Community College's general studies associate's program starts graduates at roughly $24,000—below both state and national medians—but the debt load of under $10,000 helps soften that blow. Within Texas, this program sits right at the midpoint for earnings (40th percentile), meaning half of similar programs in the state produce better outcomes. The gap is significant: top Texas community college programs like Central Texas College and Austin Community College get graduates to nearly $40,000 within a year, 68% more than El Paso grads earn.

The encouraging part is the 28% earnings growth over four years, bringing graduates to just over $30,000—essentially matching the national 75th percentile by year four. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.41 is manageable, meaning graduates could theoretically pay off their loans in under six months of gross earnings. For a community serving a substantial population of Pell-eligible students (36%), that low debt matters.

Here's the practical reality: this program offers an affordable pathway to modest but growing earnings, especially valuable for students who need to work while studying or can't relocate. However, students with geographic flexibility might find significantly better starting salaries at other Texas community colleges without taking on more debt. If staying in El Paso is non-negotiable, this represents a reasonable investment—just understand your graduate will likely start in the low-to-mid $20,000s and build from there.