Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus

When peer programs in Colorado suggest $39,000 in first-year earnings against $25,000 in debt, this liberal arts bachelor's degree sits right at the state median—which is surprisingly better than the national picture. That 0.65 debt-to-earnings ratio means graduates from similar programs are dedicating roughly eight months of their first year's salary to education debt, a manageable burden if the credential opens doors beyond that initial paycheck.

The challenge is what these numbers don't tell you. Liberal arts degrees are notoriously difficult to track because graduates scatter across industries—some land in nonprofit work at $32,000, others pivot to tech sales at $50,000. The earnings estimates here reflect that middle ground, performing slightly above the national median of $36,000 but trailing programs at Colorado Mesa and Adams State that report actual outcomes in the low $40,000s. UC Denver's urban location could offer networking advantages those schools can't match, but you're betting on your child's initiative to convert a general humanities degree into career traction.

For anxious parents, the question is whether $25,000 in debt makes sense for a degree this broad. If your student has a clear plan—law school, nonprofit leadership, corporate training—this could serve as a foundation. If they're still figuring things out, comparable programs elsewhere in Colorado are producing slightly higher early earnings with similar debt loads, and those results are actual, not estimated.