Best Art & Design Colleges in Connecticut (2026)
Updated
This page ranks the 12 schools in Connecticut that offer an Art & Design program, ordered by the median earnings of Art & Design graduates four years after completing. Sacred Heart University leads the list at $61,998, followed by Connecticut College at $61,321, a gap of just $677.
Across the 9 schools with a published figure, median earnings range from $61,998 to $36,387, with a median of $46,233.
The list includes 5 public and 7 private nonprofit institutions. University of Connecticut ranks 105th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Central Connecticut State University posts the lowest average net price at $16,857, and Fairfield University reports the highest six-year completion rate at 84%.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Median Art & Design Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sacred Heart University · Fairfield, CT | $61,998 | $46,174 | $38,691 | 65.4% |
| Sacred Heart University reports $61,998 in median earnings of Art & Design graduates four years after completing, the highest figure on this list. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Fine and Studio Arts (7 graduates), Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (5 graduates) | |||||
| 2 | Connecticut College · New London, CT | $61,321 | $36,175 | $13,341 | 37.0% |
| Connecticut College posts a six-year completion rate of 82% and an average net price of $36,175. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Fine and Studio Arts (22 graduates), Film/Video and Photographic Arts (11 graduates), Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (6 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Fine and Studio Arts ($61,321) | |||||
| 3 | Quinnipiac University · Hamden, CT | $56,407 | $40,675 | $33,649 | 72.2% |
| Quinnipiac University admits 72% of applicants and ranks 845th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Film/Video and Photographic Arts (43 graduates), Design and Applied Arts (37 graduates) | |||||
| 4 | University of Bridgeport · Bridgeport, CT | $47,973 | $27,807 | $27,238 | 83.0% |
| University of Bridgeport reports an average net price of $27,238 for families earning under $30,000, and its graduates earn a median of $47,973 four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Design and Applied Arts (17 graduates), Music (6 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Design and Applied Arts ($47,973) | |||||
| 5 | University of Connecticut · Storrs, CT | $47,699 | $25,097 | $15,193 | 52.4% |
| A public university in Storrs, University of Connecticut ranks 105th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Fine and Studio Arts (52 graduates), Music (35 graduates), Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (20 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Music ($56,104), Fine and Studio Arts ($50,952) | |||||
| 6 | Western Connecticut State University · Danbury, CT | $46,233 | $17,604 | $13,507 | 87.0% |
| Western Connecticut State University reports $46,233 in median earnings of Art & Design graduates four years after completing, matching the list median of $46,233. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (46 graduates), Fine and Studio Arts (27 graduates), Music (21 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft ($50,955) | |||||
| 7 | University of Hartford · West Hartford, CT | $45,779 | $30,282 | $25,925 | 95.8% |
| University of Hartford admits 96% of applicants and carries an average net price of $30,282. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Music (58 graduates), Design and Applied Arts (29 graduates), Fine and Studio Arts (24 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Design and Applied Arts ($51,607), Fine and Studio Arts ($44,735), Film/Video and Photographic Arts ($44,550) | |||||
| 8 | University of New Haven · West Haven, CT | $44,862 | $34,192 | $27,837 | 60.4% |
| Graduates of University of New Haven earn a median of $44,862 four years after completing, and the school reports an average net price of $34,192. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management (20 graduates), Design and Applied Arts (9 graduates), Music (5 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management ($50,112), Music ($47,057) | |||||
| 9 | Central Connecticut State University · New Britain, CT | $44,318 | $16,857 | $13,589 | 73.3% |
| Central Connecticut State University posts the lowest average net price on the list at $16,857. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Design and Applied Arts (26 graduates), Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (15 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Design and Applied Arts ($57,214) | |||||
| 10 | Fairfield University · Fairfield, CT | $36,848 | $48,095 | $33,302 | 33.3% |
| Fairfield University reports $36,848 in median earnings for its Art & Design graduates two years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Fine and Studio Arts (7 graduates), Film/Video and Photographic Arts (5 graduates) | |||||
| 11 | Southern Connecticut State University · New Haven, CT | $36,387 | $20,857 | $17,736 | 91.5% |
| Southern Connecticut State University reports $36,387 in median earnings of Art & Design graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $17,736 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Fine and Studio Arts (26 graduates), Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (5 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Fine and Studio Arts ($36,387) | |||||
| 12 | Eastern Connecticut State University · Willimantic, CT | $35,143 | $21,067 | $17,654 | 83.0% |
| Eastern Connecticut State University admits 83% of applicants and graduates 58% of its students within six years. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Fine and Studio Arts (33 graduates), Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (19 graduates), Music (12 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Fine and Studio Arts ($41,933) | |||||
How this list is ordered
Schools are ordered by the median earnings of their Art & Design graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only schools with a reported Art & Design earnings cohort in Connecticut appear. The figure captures federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled four years after finishing. For 1 of the 12 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The range and median below cover the 9 schools with a published figure. Sacred Heart University leads Connecticut College by a margin of $677, and the spread from top to bottom reaches $25,611.