Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Highland Community College

Highland Community College's associate in liberal arts faces a fundamental challenge: graduates earn $22,909 in their first year—about $4,000 less than the Kansas median for this program and $7,000 below typical starting points at Kansas City Kansas Community College or Butler Community College. While the program ranks at the 40th percentile within Kansas (meaning it trails most comparable in-state options), the debt load of $11,000 is reasonable and aligns with national norms for associate degrees.

The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.48 means graduates owe roughly half their first-year salary, which is manageable on paper. However, starting at under $23,000 annually leaves little room for both loan payments and living expenses. For context, this falls in the bottom 20% of similar programs nationally, suggesting graduates might struggle more than peers at other schools to gain financial traction after graduation.

If your child is set on Highland for personal or logistical reasons, this program won't saddle them with crushing debt. But Kansas offers multiple community colleges where liberal arts graduates start $7,000-$13,000 higher, which compounds significantly over time. Unless Highland provides specific advantages—proximity to home, unique transfer agreements, or personal circumstances that matter—the earnings gap compared to other Kansas options is hard to justify.