Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Morehead State University

The numbers tell a tough story: a Morehead State liberal arts graduate earning $30,055 in their first year is making $6,000 less than Kentucky's median for this degree and nearly $6,300 below the national figure. While the program sits at the 40th percentile statewide—essentially middle-of-the-pack among Kentucky liberal arts programs—it falls to just the 21st percentile nationally, meaning roughly eight out of ten comparable programs elsewhere produce better-earning graduates.

The nearly $29,000 in typical debt compounds the challenge. At first-year earnings, graduates are looking at a debt-to-income ratio close to 1:1, meaning their entire first year's salary barely covers what they borrowed. Earnings do improve 17% by year four, reaching $35,212, but even this puts graduates just slightly above Kentucky's state median. For context, Northern Kentucky University's liberal arts graduates start at $37,602—more than Morehead's four-year mark.

This program works best for students with minimal borrowing needs or those planning graduate school where the Morehead name might carry regional value. For a family taking on significant debt expecting their graduate to launch into financial independence, these earnings create a prolonged payback period that will constrain early-career choices.