Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at William Carey University

Is a liberal arts degree from a private Mississippi university worth $27,000 in debt when comparable programs across the state suggest first-year earnings around $36,700? That's roughly three-quarters of your annual salary in debt—manageable by standard measures, but with an important caveat: these figures come from peer institutions since William Carey's specific outcomes aren't publicly available due to small sample sizes.

What we can see from similar programs in Mississippi is that liberal arts graduates cluster tightly around $36,000-$37,000 in first-year earnings, with Jackson State as a notable outlier at nearly $42,000. William Carey's estimated debt falls slightly below the state median of $29,250, which helps, though the modest earnings potential means graduates would still be dedicating a substantial portion of early paychecks to loan repayment. For context, the national picture for this degree looks nearly identical—$36,300 in earnings against the same $27,000 debt level—suggesting this is less about Mississippi and more about what liberal arts degrees typically deliver financially.

The practical challenge here is limited visibility: without program-specific data, you're essentially betting on whether William Carey's career services, alumni network, and regional reputation can match or exceed what other Mississippi programs deliver. Given that even the highest-earning programs in the state barely crack $42,000, expect a slow financial start regardless of where your student enrolls in Mississippi.