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
61
Colleges with salary data
Average 20-Yr Net ROI
-$185,020
Across all programs
Average Annual Cost
$46,039
Cost of attendance
| # | College | State | 20-Yr Net ROI | Median Salary | Annual Cost | Avg Debt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Grad rate: 72.5% |
NC | +$580,314 | $73,607 | $25,913 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 2 | Sotheby's Institute of Art-NY | NY | +$279,540 | $55,977 | N/A | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 3 |
University of California-Santa Cruz
Grad rate: 75.7% |
CA | +$212,782 | $56,504 | $38,649 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 4 |
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Grad rate: 56.8% |
NE | +$149,056 | $51,898 | $24,452 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 5 |
George Mason University
Grad rate: 69.9% |
VA | +$78,196 | $48,607 | $26,972 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 6 |
University of New Mexico-Main Campus
Grad rate: 52.1% |
NM | +$45,534 | $46,374 | $20,973 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 7 |
University of Houston
Grad rate: 64.0% |
TX | +$40,888 | $46,550 | $25,056 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 8 |
The University of Texas at Austin
Grad rate: 87.7% |
TX | +$38,376 | $46,903 | $29,842 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 9 |
University of California-Los Angeles
Grad rate: 92.6% |
CA | +$12,394 | $46,284 | $36,643 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 10 |
CUNY Hunter College
Grad rate: 58.7% |
NY | +$1,580 | $43,410 | $13,310 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 11 |
Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Grad rate: 67.7% |
MA | -$23,112 | $44,070 | $32,256 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 12 |
University of Florida
Grad rate: 90.7% |
FL | -$51,318 | $41,606 | $21,719 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 13 |
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Grad rate: 83.1% |
MA | -$57,778 | $42,450 | $33,389 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 14 |
State University of New York at New Paltz
Grad rate: 71.0% |
NY | -$62,908 | $41,558 | $27,034 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 15 |
School of Visual Arts
Grad rate: 74.4% |
NY | -$65,712 | $46,216 | $75,016 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 16 |
New York University
Grad rate: 87.8% |
NY | -$100,202 | $44,902 | $79,121 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 17 |
The University of Texas at San Antonio
Grad rate: 52.3% |
TX | -$102,048 | $39,045 | $21,474 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 18 |
Duke University
Grad rate: 96.2% |
NC | -$103,898 | $45,080 | $82,749 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 19 |
George Washington University
Grad rate: 85.0% |
DC | -$127,454 | $43,700 | $80,727 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 20 |
University of Georgia
Grad rate: 87.6% |
GA | -$132,872 | $38,100 | $27,436 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 21 |
University of Iowa
Grad rate: 73.4% |
IA | -$132,906 | $38,043 | $26,883 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 22 |
Kent State University at Kent
Grad rate: 65.1% |
OH | -$164,150 | $36,727 | $29,345 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 23 |
Southern New Hampshire University
Grad rate: 43.2% |
NH | -$182,888 | $36,608 | $37,524 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 24 |
CUNY City College
Grad rate: 56.6% |
NY | -$189,588 | $33,872 | $13,514 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 25 |
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Grad rate: 89.3% |
WI | -$190,000 | $35,277 | $27,770 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 26 |
American University
Grad rate: 79.0% |
DC | -$192,418 | $39,534 | $71,549 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 27 | Cranbrook Academy of Art | MI | -$199,700 | $32,015 | N/A | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 28 |
University of Colorado Boulder
Grad rate: 74.9% |
CO | -$200,212 | $35,336 | $33,466 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 29 |
Florida State University
Grad rate: 83.9% |
FL | -$201,406 | $34,298 | $23,683 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 30 |
Arizona State University Campus Immersion
Grad rate: 67.4% |
AZ | -$203,314 | $34,639 | $28,047 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 31 |
California State University-Northridge
Grad rate: 56.1% |
CA | -$207,814 | $33,641 | $20,317 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 32 |
Savannah College of Art and Design
Grad rate: 71.5% |
GA | -$233,080 | $36,313 | $59,670 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 33 |
University of South Florida
Grad rate: 74.4% |
FL | -$236,122 | $32,424 | $22,301 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 34 |
California College of the Arts
Grad rate: 65.7% |
CA | -$236,828 | $38,025 | $78,664 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 35 |
Boston University
Grad rate: 89.5% |
MA | -$238,008 | $38,369 | $82,694 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 36 |
The New School
Grad rate: 70.2% |
NY | -$240,134 | $38,269 | $82,757 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 37 |
Washington University in St Louis
Grad rate: 94.1% |
MO | -$242,012 | $38,247 | $83,476 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 38 |
Temple University
Grad rate: 76.3% |
PA | -$247,078 | $33,626 | $39,799 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 39 |
California State University-Long Beach
Grad rate: 71.3% |
CA | -$250,600 | $31,501 | $20,310 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 40 |
University of Oregon
Grad rate: 72.5% |
OR | -$257,032 | $32,412 | $32,636 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 41 |
University of North Texas
Grad rate: 59.2% |
TX | -$266,920 | $31,201 | $25,470 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 42 |
Pratt Institute-Main
Grad rate: 74.4% |
NY | -$268,006 | $36,253 | $76,533 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 43 |
Tufts University
Grad rate: 93.5% |
MA | -$274,400 | $36,740 | $84,600 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 44 |
Northern Illinois University
Grad rate: 51.3% |
IL | -$277,828 | $30,830 | $27,214 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 45 |
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Grad rate: 65.4% |
NE | -$292,182 | $29,925 | $25,341 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 46 |
University of Pennsylvania
Grad rate: 96.5% |
PA | -$296,796 | $35,734 | $85,738 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 47 |
Maryland Institute College of Art
Grad rate: 73.7% |
MD | -$307,272 | $33,773 | $71,366 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 48 |
Ohio University-Main Campus
Grad rate: 65.7% |
OH | -$311,018 | $29,302 | $28,529 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 49 |
Virginia Commonwealth University
Grad rate: 64.9% |
VA | -$312,072 | $29,831 | $34,346 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 50 |
Lesley University
Grad rate: 61.6% |
MA | -$340,632 | $29,891 | $49,226 | 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.