Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Goddard College

Goddard College's Liberal Arts program produces earnings that lag significantly behind alternatives, even within Vermont's small market. At $19,331 one year out, graduates earn less than half what typical Vermont liberal arts graduates make ($42,000 median). This places the program in the bottom 10% statewide and bottom 5% nationally—meaningful gaps that persist even as earnings climb to $30,542 by year four.

The debt burden compounds these concerns. While $30,644 sits near Vermont's median for liberal arts programs, it translates to 1.6 times first-year earnings—a heavy load when starting salaries fall so far below market rate. The 58% earnings growth over four years shows improvement, but graduates are essentially spending those early years catching up to where peers at other Vermont schools started. Even Vermont State University's liberal arts program, a public option, shows stronger initial outcomes at the state median.

For families considering this $60,000+ investment (given typical living costs), the math is stark: you're paying premium private college prices for bottom-decile outcomes in a state with stronger alternatives. Unless Goddard's distinctive self-directed learning model aligns precisely with your student's educational philosophy, Vermont offers better-paying pathways through its other seven liberal arts programs.