Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Francis Marion University

The numbers here are concerning, even accounting for the small sample size. Francis Marion graduates earn just $21,838 in their first year—roughly $8,000 below the state median for liberal arts programs and $15,000 below the national median. While graduates do in this state's 25th percentile, they're still trailing significantly behind USC-Columbia and USC-Upstate, schools with similar accessibility. The debt burden of $41,475 is particularly troubling, coming in 50% higher than both state and national medians for this degree.

The 41% earnings growth to $30,887 by year four does show improvement, but graduates are still carrying debt nearly 1.9 times their starting salary. That's a heavy load for earnings that remain below what many liberal arts graduates achieve right out of college elsewhere. For a family considering in-state options, programs at USC-Columbia or USC-Upstate offer substantially better early earnings with comparable or lower debt.

Given the small sample size, these figures might not represent every graduate's experience. However, if typical, this program presents a challenging financial picture. Families should request more detailed placement data from Francis Marion and carefully compare financial aid packages against South Carolina's other public universities, where liberal arts graduates consistently start $10,000+ higher.