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

Pueblo Community College's liberal arts associate degree costs more than most comparable programs but delivers strong earnings—a tradeoff worth examining closely. Graduates here earn $30,640 in their first year, placing them in the 76th percentile nationally and roughly at Colorado's median for this degree. However, the $14,962 in debt sits well above both the state median ($11,913) and national median ($10,950), landing in the 82nd percentile for debt burden.

The positive news: earnings grow steadily to $34,691 by year four, a 13% increase that suggests graduates are building career momentum. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.49 remains manageable—graduates earn roughly double what they owe, which is reasonable for an associate degree. Among Colorado's 19 programs, Pueblo sits in the middle of the pack for earnings, trailing metro Denver options like Aurora and Arapahoe (both near $38,700) but performing competitively with other regional schools.

The calculus here is straightforward: you're paying a premium—about $3,000 more in debt than the typical Colorado liberal arts associate—for earnings that are solid but not exceptional. For families prioritizing location or specific program features at Pueblo, these numbers work. But if minimizing debt is the priority, exploring those lower-cost Colorado alternatives makes sense, especially since several deliver comparable or better earnings outcomes.