Best Art & Design Colleges in the United States (2026)
Updated
This page ranks the 735 Art & Design programs in the United States by the median earnings of Art & Design graduates four years after completing. Lawrence Technological University leads the list with median earnings of $99,444 four years after completing.
Across the 512 schools with a published figure, earnings range from $99,444 to $9,375, with a median of $42,166.
Public institutions account for 53% of the listed schools, with 389 public and 346 private nonprofit programs represented. University of California-San Diego ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Trinity International University-Illinois posts the lowest average net price at $2,835.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Median Art & Design Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lawrence Technological University · Southfield, MI | $99,444 | $32,918 | $25,980 | 55.9% |
| Lawrence Technological University reports $99,444 in median earnings of Art & Design graduates four years after completing, the highest figure on this list of 735 schools. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Design and Applied Arts (20 graduates) | |||||
| 2 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus · Atlanta, GA | $95,697 | $12,116 | $7,666 | 14.1% |
| A public university in Atlanta, Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus posts an average net price of $12,116 alongside median earnings of $95,697 for its Art & Design graduates four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Design and Applied Arts (75 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Design and Applied Arts ($95,697) | |||||
| 3 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · Troy, NY | $87,358 | $36,228 | $24,078 | 63.5% |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute admits 63% of applicants and its Art & Design graduates earn a median of $87,358 four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Design and Applied Arts (41 graduates), Visual and Performing Arts, General (5 graduates) | |||||
| 4 | University of Notre Dame · Notre Dame, IN | $70,286 | $26,780 | $7,244 | 11.3% |
| With a six-year completion rate of 95%, University of Notre Dame ranks 4th on this page and reports median earnings of $70,286 for its Art & Design graduates four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (68 graduates), Design and Applied Arts (28 graduates), Fine and Studio Arts (12 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft ($64,880) | |||||
| 5 | Art Center College of Design · Pasadena, CA | $69,755 | $48,661 | $39,645 | 74.5% |
| Art Center College of Design ranks 5th on this list, with its Art & Design graduates earning a median of $69,755 four years after completing and an average net price of $48,661. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Design and Applied Arts (228 graduates), Film/Video and Photographic Arts (47 graduates), Fine and Studio Arts (14 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Design and Applied Arts ($76,093), Film/Video and Photographic Arts ($49,933) | |||||
| 6 | Dartmouth College · Hanover, NH | $68,523 | $29,519 | $41 | 5.4% |
| Dartmouth College reports an average net price of $41 for families earning under $30,000, while its Art & Design graduates earn a median of $68,523 four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Fine and Studio Arts (24 graduates), Film/Video and Photographic Arts (18 graduates), Music (18 graduates) | |||||
| 7 | Northeastern University · Boston, MA | No published median | $30,915 | $2,264 | 5.2% |
| Northeastern University ranks 204th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and admits 5% of applicants. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Design and Applied Arts (53 graduates), Music (40 graduates), Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (16 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Design and Applied Arts ($87,336), Music ($60,974) | |||||
| 8 | Wentworth Institute of Technology · Boston, MA | $68,160 | $34,170 | $27,018 | 91.2% |
| Wentworth Institute of Technology admits 91% of applicants and its Art & Design graduates earn a median of $68,160 four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Design and Applied Arts (65 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Design and Applied Arts ($68,160) | |||||
| 9 | Washington University in St Louis · St. Louis, MO | $67,771 | $21,786 | $1,716 | 12.1% |
| Washington University in St Louis reports an average net price of $1,716 for families earning under $30,000, and its Art & Design graduates earn a median of $67,771 four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Design and Applied Arts (62 graduates), Fine and Studio Arts (43 graduates), Film/Video and Photographic Arts (14 graduates) | |||||
| 10 | New Jersey Institute of Technology · Newark, NJ | $66,488 | $16,504 | $10,138 | 65.1% |
| A public university in Newark, New Jersey Institute of Technology posts a six-year completion rate of 73% and median earnings of $66,488 for its Art & Design graduates four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Design and Applied Arts (21 graduates), Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (6 graduates) | |||||
| 11 | Laguna College of Art and Design · Laguna Beach, CA | $66,193 | $42,505 | $37,203 | 94.3% |
| Laguna College of Art and Design ranks 11th on this list, with its Art & Design graduates earning a median of $66,193 four years after completing and an average net price of $42,505. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Design and Applied Arts (84 graduates), Fine and Studio Arts (6 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Design and Applied Arts ($68,934) | |||||
| 12 | Endicott College · Beverly, MA | $64,559 | $40,654 | $29,780 | 71.2% |
| Endicott College reports median earnings of $64,559 for its Art & Design graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $29,780 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Design and Applied Arts (50 graduates), Visual and Performing Arts, Other (5 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Design and Applied Arts ($64,559) | |||||
| 13 | St. John's University-New York · Queens, NY | $63,659 | $29,999 | $27,787 | 83.4% |
| St. John's University-New York reports median earnings of $63,659 for its Art & Design graduates four years after completing, and its six-year completion rate stands at 66%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Design and Applied Arts (23 graduates), Film/Video and Photographic Arts (7 graduates) | |||||
| 14 | Emmanuel College · Boston, MA | $63,616 | $26,706 | $20,399 | 75.7% |
| With an admission rate of 76%, Emmanuel College also shows a six-year completion rate of 68%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Design and Applied Arts (11 graduates) | |||||
| 15 | Sacred Heart University · Fairfield, CT | $61,998 | $46,174 | $38,691 | 65.4% |
| Sacred Heart University carries an average net price of $46,174, while its Art & Design graduates earn a median of $61,998 four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Fine and Studio Arts (7 graduates), Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (5 graduates) | |||||
| 16 | Stevens Institute of Technology · Hoboken, NJ | $61,943 | $41,346 | $27,221 | 47.6% |
| Stevens Institute of Technology ranks 465th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and graduates 87% of its students within six years. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Music (21 graduates), Fine and Studio Arts (12 graduates) | |||||
| 17 | High Point University · High Point, NC | $61,635 | $38,707 | $32,763 | 75.3% |
| High Point University posts median earnings of $61,635 for its Art & Design graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $32,763 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Design and Applied Arts (62 graduates), Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (8 graduates), Film/Video and Photographic Arts (7 graduates) | |||||
| 18 | Carnegie Mellon University · Pittsburgh, PA | No published median | $31,944 | $9,097 | 11.7% |
| Carnegie Mellon University admits 12% of applicants and reports an average net price of $9,097 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (53 graduates), Fine and Studio Arts (33 graduates), Design and Applied Arts (31 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft ($40,073) | |||||
| 19 | Connecticut College · New London, CT | $61,321 | $36,175 | $13,341 | 37.0% |
| Connecticut College reports a six-year completion rate of 82% and median earnings of $61,321 for its Art & Design graduates four years after completing. | |||||
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) | |||||
| 20 | Marist University · Poughkeepsie, NY | $61,116 | $41,544 | $26,083 | 56.5% |
| Marist University ranks 20th on this list, with an admission rate of 57% and a six-year completion rate of 80%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Design and Applied Arts (44 graduates), Fine and Studio Arts (37 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Design and Applied Arts ($66,010), Fine and Studio Arts ($55,296) | |||||
| 21 | Brown University · Providence, RI | $60,985 | $25,184 | -$420* | 5.4% |
| Brown University admits 5% of applicants, and its Art & Design graduates earn a median of $60,985 four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Fine and Studio Arts (51 graduates), Music (25 graduates), Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (7 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Fine and Studio Arts ($60,985) | |||||
| 22 | Miami University-Oxford · Oxford, OH | $60,935 | $28,384 | $16,015 | 75.4% |
| A public university in Oxford, Miami University-Oxford reports an average net price of $16,015 for families earning under $30,000 and a six-year completion rate of 80%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Design and Applied Arts (59 graduates), Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management (25 graduates), Music (23 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Design and Applied Arts ($67,981), Fine and Studio Arts ($55,891) | |||||
| 23 | Harding University · Searcy, AR | $60,567 | $22,130 | $15,418 | 70.5% |
| Harding University shows median earnings of $60,567 for its Art & Design graduates four years after completing, and its average net price is $22,130. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Design and Applied Arts (19 graduates), Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (14 graduates), Fine and Studio Arts (6 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Design and Applied Arts ($60,567) | |||||
| 24 | Chapman University · Orange, CA | $60,236 | $46,555 | $33,559 | 65.4% |
| Chapman University ranks 920th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports an admission rate of 65%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Film/Video and Photographic Arts (211 graduates), Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (94 graduates), Dance (45 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Design and Applied Arts ($78,121), Film/Video and Photographic Arts ($66,494), Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft ($51,611) | |||||
| 25 | Thomas Jefferson University · Philadelphia, PA | $59,731 | $28,928 | $22,537 | 81.0% |
| Thomas Jefferson University reports median earnings of $59,731 for its Art & Design graduates four years after completing, and its six-year completion rate reaches 69%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Design and Applied Arts (57 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Design and Applied Arts ($59,731) | |||||
* Net price can be negative: when grants and scholarships exceed the listed cost of attendance, students can receive the difference as a refund for other expenses.
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 the United States appear. The figure reflects federally aided Art & Design completers who were working and not enrolled four years after completing. For 105 of the 735 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. It does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it does not measure teaching quality. The range and median below cover the 512 schools with a published figure. Lawrence Technological University leads Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus by $3,747, and the full spread is $90,069.
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