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

What should worry you is the earnings trajectory: based on comparable Connecticut programs, first-year pay starts around $44,240, but by year four it drops to $35,415. That backward slide is unusual and troubling, suggesting graduates may struggle to build momentum in their careers. With an estimated $21,563 in debt—slightly lower than the state median of $22,000—the financial burden is manageable at first, but loses its appeal when earnings decline rather than grow.

The estimated starting salary aligns with Connecticut's state median for liberal arts programs, putting it roughly on par with UConn's outcomes. However, without actual reported data for Mitchell's specific graduates, it's impossible to know whether this school's students follow the same path as peers across the state or face different employment realities. The 39% Pell grant rate indicates many students here come from families with financial need, making the earnings dip particularly concerning—there's little cushion for career missteps.

If your child is considering this program, the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.49 initially looks reasonable, but factor in that year-four decline. You need a clear picture of what jobs these graduates actually land and why earnings appear to fall rather than rise. Without that information, you're betting on state-wide trends applying to a school where the actual outcomes remain unknown.