ROI Major

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Ranger 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 Ranger College earn a median salary of $44,873 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $48,722. The degree typically pays for itself in 14.5 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

$31,287

Typical Career

$44,873

Top Performers

$64,930

Estimated break-even: 14.5 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$299

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,739. Most students can comfortably afford about a $299 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.2x 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 23.8%
Educational Services 19.5%
Retail Trade 9.0%

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

$48,722

Nominal: $44,873 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).

14.5 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 $20,787 $26,935 $37,810
5 Years After Graduation $31,287 $44,873 $64,930
10 Years After Graduation $45,149 $59,848 $81,500

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 $44,873 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)
= $44,873 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $48,722 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities from Ranger College can expect a steady earnings trajectory. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $26,935, increasing to $44,873 after five years and reaching $59,848 a decade post-graduation. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of $48,722.04, reflecting the cost of living in Texas, which has a COL index of 0.921 compared to the national average of 1.0.

The majority of graduates find employment in Health Care & Social Assistance, with 66.8% entering this sector, followed by 23.8% in a related area and 19.5% in Educational Services. The estimated break-even point for those pursuing this degree versus a high-school-only path is approximately 14.5 years, indicating a long-term return on investment. While the initial earnings may be modest, the potential for growth and the stability of the industries involved suggest a favorable outlook for graduates in this field.

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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.