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

Lansing Community College's Liberal Arts associate degree produces results that fall short of what Michigan students can find elsewhere. While first-year earnings of $27,926 sit slightly above the national median, they trail the typical Michigan program by nearly $900—landing in just the 40th percentile statewide. That gap matters when in-state competitors like Oakland Community College produce nearly $10,000 more in first-year earnings for the same credential.

The bright spot is debt management: at $11,264, graduates owe less than the state median and can reasonably pay it down with a 0.40 debt-to-earnings ratio. Earnings growth of 25% over four years also shows decent momentum, reaching nearly $35,000 by year four. But that trajectory still leaves graduates behind peers at Grand Rapids Community College or Kalamazoo Valley, who start higher and maintain their lead.

For Michigan families, this program represents a serviceable but not standout option. If your student has strong reasons to choose Lansing—location, specific support services, or transfer agreements—the debt burden won't be crushing. But if flexibility exists, other Michigan community colleges deliver noticeably better returns on the same degree. The question isn't whether this works at all, but whether settling for 40th percentile outcomes makes sense when better options exist in-state.