Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Saint Mary's College of California

Saint Mary's liberal arts graduates earn $56,094 in their first year—that's 54% above the national median for this degree and 76% above California's median. Among the 80 California schools offering this program, Saint Mary's ranks in the 95th percentile, essentially tied with National University for the strongest outcomes in the state. For a major often criticized for weak career prospects, these numbers tell a different story.

The $27,000 debt load sits at the national median but above California's typical $17,500, reflecting the college's private school pricing. Still, with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.48, graduates are borrowing less than half their first-year salary—a manageable level by any standard. The puzzling element is the earnings dip to $53,489 by year four, though even this reduced figure outperforms 95% of comparable programs nationwide. This could reflect career transitions common among liberal arts graduates or simply the moderate sample size creating statistical noise.

What matters most: your child would be entering one of the country's most successful liberal arts programs by earnings outcomes, not a generic humanities degree with questionable ROI. The combination of strong starting salaries and reasonable debt makes this a solid investment, particularly when you consider that Saint Mary's admits 89% of applicants—this isn't an elite admissions gauntlet, yet it delivers elite-level career outcomes for this field.