ROI Major

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Clarendon College

TX · Associate's Degree · CIP 24.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities degree from Clarendon College earn a median salary of $44,340 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $48,143. The degree typically pays for itself in 14.7 years.

Quick Insights

Slow Burn / High Debt Risk

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$29,948

Typical Career

$44,340

Top Performers

$61,332

Estimated break-even: 14.7 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$296

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,695. Most students can comfortably afford about a $296 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.1x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Texas buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Educational Services, Retail Trade.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 17.6%
Educational Services 13.8%
Retail Trade 11.4%

Institution-wide industry mix for graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$48,143

Nominal: $44,340 in Texas (COL 92.1% of national avg) · 8.6% higher purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

14.7 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $21,547 $29,657 $42,201
5 Years After Graduation $29,948 $44,340 $61,332
10 Years After Graduation $41,902 $58,787 $80,595

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $44,340 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in TX, which has a cost-of-living index of 92.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $44,340 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $48,143 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities program at Clarendon College experience a steady earnings trajectory. One year post-graduation, median earnings are reported at $29,657, which increases to $44,340 after five years and reaches $58,787 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of $48,143.32, indicating that while initial earnings may be modest, the long-term financial outlook improves significantly, particularly in a state with a cost of living index of 0.921 compared to the national average.

The primary industries that graduates enter include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 36.5% of employment, followed by another segment in the same field at 23.2%, and Retail Trade at 21.7%. This distribution suggests a strong alignment with sectors that are generally stable and growing. The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma is approximately 14.7 years, indicating a reasonable return on investment over time. Overall, while the path may require patience, the potential for increased earnings and employment in essential industries supports a favorable long-term career outlook.

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See how the Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities degree at Clarendon College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.