Associate's · Tucson, Arizona

Is Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Pima Community College worth it?

High confidence High confidence: 100+ graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back in time: graduates typically recover the cost in about 4 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $35,177; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $50,301; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $6,500; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $8k (likely $8k – $12k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $10k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in AZ; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 4 years (likely 3.5–4.5); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: −$10k (likely −$42k – $13k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $135k (likely $59k – $216k); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 26%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26