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 after completing.
Across the 512 schools with a reported completion median, 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 the 1,467 public and private nonprofit four-year institutions Azimuth ranks nationally.
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 for its Art & Design graduates four years after completing, and ranks 1st on this list. | |||||
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 a six-year completion rate of 94% 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 an average net price of $26,780, University of Notre Dame shows 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) | |||||
| 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 an average net price of $48,661 and a six-year completion rate of 79%. | |||||
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 median earnings of $68,523 for its Art & Design graduates four years after completing, and an average net price of $41 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
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 | $68,456 | $30,915 | $2,264 | 5.2% |
| Northeastern University ranks 7th on this list, admits 5% of applicants, and posts a six-year completion rate of 91%. | |||||
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 reports median earnings of $68,160 for its Art & Design graduates four years after completing, alongside an admission rate of 91%. | |||||
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 shows 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 institution in Newark, New Jersey Institute of Technology ranks 10th on this list and reports a six-year completion rate of 73%. | |||||
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 admits 94% of applicants, and its Art & Design graduates earn a median of $66,193 four years after completing. | |||||
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 $40,654. | |||||
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 $63,659 in median earnings for its Art & Design graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $29,999. | |||||
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 a six-year completion rate of 68%, Emmanuel College admits 76% of applicants and ranks 1121st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
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 posts median earnings of $61,998 for its Art & Design graduates four years after completing, and an average net price of $38,691 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
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 16th on this list, with a six-year completion rate of 87% and an admission rate of 48%. | |||||
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 reports $61,635 in median earnings for its Art & Design graduates four years after completing, and ranks 1411th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
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 | $61,334 | $31,944 | $9,097 | 11.7% |
| Carnegie Mellon University admits 12% of applicants and graduates 94% within six years, with 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) | |||||
| 19 | Connecticut College · New London, CT | $61,321 | $36,175 | $13,341 | 37.0% |
| Connecticut College reports median earnings of $61,321 for its Art & Design graduates four years after completing, and an admission rate of 37%. | |||||
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% |
| With a six-year completion rate of 80%, Marist University ranks 20th on this list and posts an average net price of $41,544. | |||||
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 reports median earnings of $60,985 for its Art & Design graduates 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% |
| Miami University-Oxford ranks 626th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, with an average net price of $16,015 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
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 reports $60,567 in median earnings for its Art & Design graduates four years after completing, and a six-year completion rate of 69%. | |||||
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 admits 65% of applicants and posts an average net price of $46,555, alongside median earnings of $60,236 for its Art & Design graduates four years after completing. | |||||
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 $59,731 in median earnings for its Art & Design graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $28,928. | |||||
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, or two years for programs that report only a two-year figure, highest first. The figure reflects federally aided Art & Design completers who were working and not enrolled 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 figures cited on this page cover the 512 schools with a reported completion median. Lawrence Technological University leads Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus by $3,747, and the full spread is $90,069.
Related rankings
- Art & Design Colleges for Social Mobility