Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Northampton County Area Community College

Northampton County Area Community College's liberal arts associate degree starts graduates at just $23,879—well below both the Pennsylvania median ($25,883) and the national benchmark ($27,248). While the program ranks at the 40th percentile among Pennsylvania liberal arts programs, that's still behind stronger options like Community College of Philadelphia ($32,697) or Harrisburg Area Community College ($30,455), which sit less than two hours away.

The relatively modest debt load of $15,250 offers some relief, coming in lower than most PA programs in this field. Combined with solid 24% earnings growth over four years, graduates do see meaningful income progression to nearly $30,000. For students who need to stay local or have minimal resources—note that 38% of students receive Pell grants—this represents an affordable pathway to a credential, even if not the strongest earnings outcome.

The real question is opportunity cost. Pennsylvania families should recognize this program underperforms the state median by about $2,000 annually right out of the gate, and that gap persists even after four years. If geography allows, other community colleges in the state deliver significantly better returns on a similar investment. This works as a local option for students with constraints, but it's not the value leader in Pennsylvania's community college system.