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

A debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.69 puts this program in reasonable territory—you'd be looking at roughly $280 in monthly payments on a salary that, based on similar liberal arts programs across New York, suggests around $35,800 in first-year earnings. That's manageable, though not generous. The estimated $24,865 in debt falls slightly below both state and national medians for these programs, which is encouraging given Ithaca College's selective profile and higher tuition.

What's harder to assess is upside potential. The top-performing liberal arts programs in New York—places like Molloy and Cornell—show graduates earning $46,000 to $75,000, suggesting the field has considerable variation in outcomes that likely depends on career path, networking, and how students leverage a general degree. Without actual data on Ithaca College's specific graduates in this major, it's difficult to know whether the school's strong reputation and alumni network translate into better-than-typical placements, or whether outcomes track closer to the state median.

For an anxious parent, the key question is whether your student has a clear plan for what comes after this degree. Liberal arts programs work well as launching pads for grad school, specific career tracks, or fields where a bachelor's checks a box but doesn't define the trajectory. If your child is pursuing this as exploration without a next step in mind, the modest estimated earnings and four years of private-school tuition create real financial risk.