Best Fine and Studio Arts Degrees in the US by ROI

Top colleges ranked by estimated 20-year net return on investment across all active states. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Programs Analyzed

425

Colleges with salary data

Average 20-Yr Net ROI

-$384,693

Across all programs

Average Annual Cost

$35,126

Cost of attendance

#	College	State	20-Yr Net ROI	Median Salary	Annual Cost	Avg Debt
1	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Grad rate: 85.3%	CA	+$363,010	$67,430	$29,918	$19,198	Full ROI →
2	Wellesley College Grad rate: 90.7%	MA	+$74,960	$62,358	$83,050	N/A	Full ROI →
3	Northeastern University Oakland	CA	-$55,520	$39,224	N/A	N/A	Full ROI →
4	University of Wyoming Grad rate: 60.3%	WY	-$62,602	$44,416	$22,371	$15,880	Full ROI →
5	University of Maryland-College Park Grad rate: 88.9%	MD	-$88,232	$44,553	$28,073	$20,000	Full ROI →
6	West Chester University of Pennsylvania Grad rate: 70.7%	PA	-$102,836	$42,370	$27,559	N/A	Full ROI →
7	Wake Forest University Grad rate: 90.3%	NC	-$118,832	$52,622	$82,818	N/A	Full ROI →
8	University of Redlands Grad rate: 69.0%	CA	-$137,812	$49,156	$70,233	N/A	Full ROI →
9	St. Mary's College of Maryland Grad rate: 69.3%	MD	-$146,756	$40,926	$31,319	N/A	Full ROI →
10	Framingham State University Grad rate: 52.0%	MA	-$148,486	$41,706	$26,539	$27,000	Full ROI →
11	University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Grad rate: 84.0%	PA	-$152,661	$43,293	$36,707	$23,477	Full ROI →
12	Vanderbilt University Grad rate: 92.7%	TN	-$157,008	$51,032	$84,412	N/A	Full ROI →
13	Azusa Pacific University Grad rate: 62.8%	CA	-$160,628	$46,569	$54,735	$24,495	Full ROI →
14	Sonoma State University Grad rate: 60.1%	CA	-$167,877	$39,800	$24,739	$18,460	Full ROI →
15	University of Massachusetts-Lowell Grad rate: 70.6%	MA	-$167,894	$41,332	$29,521	$27,000	Full ROI →
16	Tennessee State University Grad rate: 32.7%	TN	-$168,112	$38,360	$23,828	N/A	Full ROI →
17	Rhode Island College Grad rate: 45.0%	RI	-$170,765	$38,746	$18,490	$23,500	Full ROI →
18	Texas Woman's University Grad rate: 46.2%	TX	-$178,061	$38,933	$20,399	$26,019	Full ROI →
19	University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus Grad rate: 59.7%	CT	-$180,530	$38,760	$20,917	$23,750	Full ROI →
20	Saint Cloud State University Grad rate: 45.5%	MN	-$180,726	$39,334	$21,389	$31,000	Full ROI →
21	Northeastern Illinois University Grad rate: 17.7%	IL	-$181,422	$39,742	$27,208	$20,319	Full ROI →
22	University of Connecticut-Avery Point Grad rate: 57.8%	CT	-$183,274	$38,760	$21,603	$23,750	Full ROI →
23	University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Grad rate: 45.6%	CO	-$184,407	$39,174	$23,369	$25,490	Full ROI →
24	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Grad rate: 93.2%	MI	-$184,680	$40,739	$33,345	$19,319	Full ROI →
25	James Madison University Grad rate: 81.0%	VA	-$186,483	$40,271	$30,213	$23,001	Full ROI →
26	University of Missouri-Columbia Grad rate: 75.7%	MO	-$187,352	$39,907	$28,948	$22,000	Full ROI →
27	California State University-Fullerton Grad rate: 69.3%	CA	-$189,572	$36,985	$16,767	$16,448	Full ROI →
28	University of Nebraska at Kearney Grad rate: 56.8%	NE	-$190,264	$38,464	$24,452	$16,101	Full ROI →
29	San Jose State University Grad rate: 66.2%	CA	-$196,620	$37,308	$25,695	N/A	Full ROI →
30	University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus Grad rate: 63.9%	CT	-$196,986	$38,760	$25,031	$23,750	Full ROI →
31	Fort Hays State University Grad rate: 49.2%	KS	-$197,680	$37,487	$19,114	$22,937	Full ROI →
32	The College of New Jersey Grad rate: 85.5%	NJ	-$200,690	$41,067	$37,070	$25,000	Full ROI →
33	Pace University Grad rate: 61.4%	NY	-$204,268	$45,405	$68,092	N/A	Full ROI →
34	Towson University Grad rate: 68.7%	MD	-$207,054	$38,185	$26,621	$17,978	Full ROI →
35	University of Connecticut-Stamford Grad rate: 59.5%	CT	-$207,810	$38,760	$27,737	$23,750	Full ROI →
36	Southern Connecticut State University Grad rate: 50.5%	CT	-$208,098	$39,001	$28,592	$25,000	Full ROI →
37	Western Colorado University Grad rate: 48.8%	CO	-$208,144	$36,678	$25,426	N/A	Full ROI →
38	The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Grad rate: 52.7%	TN	-$209,082	$37,946	$23,563	$25,000	Full ROI →
39	Cornell University Grad rate: 95.2%	NY	-$209,440	$49,325	$83,196	$17,153	Full ROI →
40	Lafayette College Grad rate: 88.6%	PA	-$210,156	$47,263	$78,854	N/A	Full ROI →
41	University of Pennsylvania Grad rate: 96.5%	PA	-$210,266	$50,211	$85,738	$23,359	Full ROI →
42	University of Mary Washington Grad rate: 68.1%	VA	-$215,783	$38,627	$29,234	$23,250	Full ROI →
43	CUNY Brooklyn College Grad rate: 55.8%	NY	-$218,532	$34,598	$13,573	$12,000	Full ROI →
44	William Paterson University of New Jersey Grad rate: 51.9%	NJ	-$220,650	$38,101	$26,555	$27,000	Full ROI →
45	University of Wisconsin-Platteville Grad rate: 61.3%	WI	-$221,516	$34,934	$20,049	N/A	Full ROI →
46	Marist University Grad rate: 80.6%	NY	-$221,876	$45,409	$63,898	$25,529	Full ROI →
47	Brigham Young University Grad rate: 80.4%	UT	-$221,921	$36,204	$20,879	$16,656	Full ROI →
48	Texas Tech University Grad rate: 67.1%	TX	-$223,520	$38,198	$27,472	$27,846	Full ROI →
49	University of Georgia Grad rate: 87.6%	GA	-$225,112	$37,713	$27,436	$21,947	Full ROI →
50	Oral Roberts University Grad rate: 58.2%	OK	-$225,388	$40,204	$47,367	N/A	Full ROI →

How ROI is calculated

20-Year Net ROI = Gross Earnings (salary × 20) − Total Degree Cost − Debt Payoff (×1.35) − Baseline Opportunity Cost ($42,000 × 20). Data from the U.S. College Scorecard.

Find Best Fine and Studio Arts Degrees by State

Browse Fine and Studio Arts programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.