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

Shoreline Community College's associate in liberal arts delivers what you'd expect from a community college transfer program: modest debt and earnings slightly ahead of the Washington median. With under $9,000 in typical debt and graduates earning $32,879 four years out, the program sits squarely in the 60th percentile among Washington's 38 schools offering this degree—solidly middle-of-the-pack performance in a state with strong community college options.

The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.31 means graduates can theoretically pay off their loans in four months of gross income, which is manageable by any standard. That said, this is fundamentally a stepping-stone credential. Four years after graduation, earnings trail Washington's top liberal arts programs by $15,000 or more, suggesting many graduates either haven't completed bachelor's degrees yet or are working in fields that don't require one. The 14% earnings growth from year one to year four is steady but unremarkable.

For parents, the calculus is straightforward: if your student plans to transfer to a four-year school, this is an affordable on-ramp with reasonable outcomes. If they're stopping at the associate level, understand they'll be earning in the low $30,000s several years out—livable in some parts of Washington, but tight in the Seattle metro area where costs run high.