Graduates of California Institute of the Arts earn median 4-year earnings of $35,256, placing California Institute of the Arts in the 0.7 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $35,455 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing California Institute of the Arts in the 1.8 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks California Institute of the Arts #1473 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects California Institute of the Arts's concentrated focus on visual and performing arts. Graphic Communications is the largest program with 54 graduates, followed by Music with 39 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $40,294. The Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft program graduates 31 students with median 4-year earnings of $41,192, while Film/Video and Photographic Arts and Fine and Studio Arts round out the top programs with 21 and 17 graduates respectively. These programs anchor the institution's distinctive labor-market positioning within the creative industries, where earnings trajectories diverge significantly from traditional academic fields.
Graduates of California Institute of the Arts earn median 4-year earnings of $35,256, placing California Institute of the Arts in the 0.7 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $35,455 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing California Institute of the Arts in the 1.8 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks California Institute of the Arts #1473 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects California Institute of the Arts's concentrated focus on visual and performing arts. Graphic Communications is the largest program with 54 graduates, followed by Music with 39 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $40,294. The Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft program graduates 31 students with median 4-year earnings of $41,192, while Film/Video and Photographic Arts and Fine and Studio Arts round out the top programs with 21 and 17 graduates respectively. These programs anchor the institution's distinctive labor-market positioning within the creative industries, where earnings trajectories diverge significantly from traditional academic fields.
Latest FE earnings field: 10-year
Lower quartile, 10-year field
How graduate earnings grow across the currently available FE horizons.
Financial justification for the investment.
Graduates of California Institute of the Arts earn median 4-year earnings of $35,256, placing California Institute of the Arts in the 0.7 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $35,455 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing California Institute of the Arts in the 1.8 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks California Institute of the Arts #1473 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects California Institute of the Arts's concentrated focus on visual and performing arts. Graphic Communications is the largest program with 54 graduates, followed by Music with 39 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $40,294. The Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft program graduates 31 students with median 4-year earnings of $41,192, while Film/Video and Photographic Arts and Fine and Studio Arts round out the top programs with 21 and 17 graduates respectively. These programs anchor the institution's distinctive labor-market positioning within the creative industries, where earnings trajectories diverge significantly from traditional academic fields.
Program mix and student pathways explain much of the earnings story.
California Institute of the Arts concentrates its program portfolio in visual and performing arts — a defining institutional signature that shapes both the student experience and career outcomes. Graphic Communications is the largest program with 54 graduates, followed by Music with 39 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $40,294, Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft with 31 graduates earning $41,192, Film/Video and Photographic Arts with 21 graduates earning $29,426, and Fine and Studio Arts with 17 graduates earning $28,617. Across 0 ranked programs serving roughly 194 students annually, the institution's earnings distribution reflects the creative-industries labor market where compensation varies widely by specialization and career trajectory. The highest-earning programs at California Institute of the Arts include Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft with 31 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $41,192, Music with 39 graduates earning $40,294, Film/Video and Photographic Arts with 21 graduates earning $29,426, and Fine and Studio Arts with 17 graduates earning $28,617. These programs represent the institution's strongest early-career earnings outcomes and reflect specializations where graduates move directly into creative and technical professional roles. Many of California Institute of the Arts's programs are pathway-dependent, where four-year earnings reflect early career positioning in creative fields but do not fully capture lifetime trajectory — particularly for graduates who transition into directing, producing, or independent creative practice over time. The supply and demand for college graduates provides context for how creative-industries fields align with labor-market demand and career-longevity patterns. For students evaluating California Institute of the Arts, the earnings figures reflect entry-level and early-career compensation in creative sectors; long-term financial outcomes depend significantly on individual career choices, portfolio development, and market positioning within the creative industries.
Upper quartile, 10-year field
Graduates of California Institute of the Arts earn median 4-year earnings of $35,256, placing California Institute of the Arts in the 0.7 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $35,455 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing California Institute of the Arts in the 1.8 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks California Institute of the Arts #1473 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects California Institute of the Arts's concentrated focus on visual and performing arts. Graphic Communications is the largest program with 54 graduates, followed by Music with 39 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $40,294. The Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft program graduates 31 students with median 4-year earnings of $41,192, while Film/Video and Photographic Arts and Fine and Studio Arts round out the top programs with 21 and 17 graduates respectively. These programs anchor the institution's distinctive labor-market positioning within the creative industries, where earnings trajectories diverge significantly from traditional academic fields.
