Associate's · Dobson, North Carolina

Is Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Surry 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 fast: graduates typically recover the cost in about 2.1 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $34,813; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $46,661; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: Not enough borrowers to report; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $884 (likely $884 – $884); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $10k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in NC; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 2.1 years (likely 0.6–3.6); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $17k (likely −$24k – $63k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $161k (likely $55k – $276k); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 5%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26