Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at La Salle University

La Salle's associate program in liberal arts shows a puzzling pattern: extremely low debt ($4,004) paired with first-year earnings of just $23,774—about $2,000 below the Pennsylvania median and $3,500 below the national figure. Among the 48 Pennsylvania schools offering this degree, La Salle lands squarely at the 40th percentile, meaning 60% of comparable in-state programs deliver higher earnings. Community College of Philadelphia, for instance, reports graduates earning nearly $9,000 more annually while likely charging lower tuition upfront.

The silver lining here is debt management. At just $4,004, students graduate with minimal financial burden—the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.17 means graduates could theoretically clear their loans in about two months of earnings. That's substantially better than the national median debt of $10,950 for this program. However, the small sample size (under 30 graduates) means these figures could shift dramatically year to year, and the low earnings suggest many graduates may be working part-time or in roles that don't require a degree at all.

For Pennsylvania families, this is a tough sell. If your child is set on a liberal arts associate degree, the combination of weak earnings and La Salle's private university pricing model—even for a two-year program—suggests looking at community colleges first. They deliver better salary outcomes at lower sticker prices, making them the smarter financial path to either immediate employment or transfer to a four-year institution.