Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Grace College and Theological Seminary

Borrowing $27,000 to earn around $36,000 in your first year—the typical outcome for Indiana liberal arts programs—creates a manageable but unspectacular financial foundation. Grace's estimated debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.75 sits right at the threshold where a degree becomes workable rather than worrisome, though it leaves little margin for error if post-graduation job hunting takes longer than expected or requires unpaid internships.

The larger concern is that Indiana's liberal arts programs cluster tightly around this $36,000 figure, with Grace's peer schools in the state producing nearly identical outcomes. Meanwhile, Notre Dame and Indiana Wesleyan graduates start $8,000-10,000 higher, suggesting that institutional reputation matters significantly in this field. For a general studies degree where your network and internship opportunities often matter as much as the credential itself, Grace's regional profile may limit early career momentum compared to schools with stronger alumni connections or urban locations.

Given that both earnings and debt here are estimates drawn from similar Indiana programs, the real question is whether your child has a specific career path that makes this degree instrumental rather than exploratory. If they're using it as a foundation for graduate school, ministry, or a family business, the modest debt load won't derail those plans. But if they're hoping the degree alone will launch a career, they should understand they'll be starting at Indiana's baseline, not its ceiling.