Graduates of Cornish College of the Arts earn median 4-year earnings of $40,939, placing Cornish College of the Arts in the 1.5 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $29,981 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Cornish College of the Arts in the 2.2 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Cornish College of the Arts #1422 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. These outcomes reflect the institution's focus on visual and performing arts, where career trajectories and earnings vary significantly by discipline and individual artistic success. The earnings pattern across Cornish College of the Arts's programs reflects the diversity of creative fields. Design and Applied Arts is the largest program with 38 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $53,773, representing 1.0x the national benchmark for the field. The Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft program graduates 26 students with median earnings of $43,576, while Fine and Studio Arts and Music round out the core program portfolio. The Dance program graduates 8 students with median 4-year earnings of $34,503. As a specialized arts institution, Cornish's graduate outcomes depend heavily on individual talent, portfolio strength, and post-graduation career choices in creative industries where earnings growth often extends beyond the immediate post-graduation period.
Graduates of Cornish College of the Arts earn median 4-year earnings of $40,939, placing Cornish College of the Arts in the 1.5 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $29,981 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Cornish College of the Arts in the 2.2 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Cornish College of the Arts #1422 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. These outcomes reflect the institution's focus on visual and performing arts, where career trajectories and earnings vary significantly by discipline and individual artistic success. The earnings pattern across Cornish College of the Arts's programs reflects the diversity of creative fields. Design and Applied Arts is the largest program with 38 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $53,773, representing 1.0x the national benchmark for the field. The Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft program graduates 26 students with median earnings of $43,576, while Fine and Studio Arts and Music round out the core program portfolio. The Dance program graduates 8 students with median 4-year earnings of $34,503. As a specialized arts institution, Cornish's graduate outcomes depend heavily on individual talent, portfolio strength, and post-graduation career choices in creative industries where earnings growth often extends beyond the immediate post-graduation period.
Latest FE earnings field: 10-year
How graduate earnings grow across the currently available FE horizons.
Financial justification for the investment.
Graduates of Cornish College of the Arts earn median 4-year earnings of $40,939, placing Cornish College of the Arts in the 1.5 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $29,981 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Cornish College of the Arts in the 2.2 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Cornish College of the Arts #1422 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. These outcomes reflect the institution's focus on visual and performing arts, where career trajectories and earnings vary significantly by discipline and individual artistic success. The earnings pattern across Cornish College of the Arts's programs reflects the diversity of creative fields. Design and Applied Arts is the largest program with 38 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $53,773, representing 1.0x the national benchmark for the field. The Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft program graduates 26 students with median earnings of $43,576, while Fine and Studio Arts and Music round out the core program portfolio. The Dance program graduates 8 students with median 4-year earnings of $34,503. As a specialized arts institution, Cornish's graduate outcomes depend heavily on individual talent, portfolio strength, and post-graduation career choices in creative industries where earnings growth often extends beyond the immediate post-graduation period.
Program mix and student pathways explain much of the earnings story.
Cornish College of the Arts is anchored in visual and performing arts, a program portfolio shaped by the institution's identity as a specialized arts conservatory. Design and Applied Arts is the largest program with 38 graduates, followed by Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft with 26 graduates, Fine and Studio Arts with 17 graduates, Music, and Dance. Across 0 ranked programs serving roughly 112 students annually, earnings vary considerably by discipline and career pathway. The highest-earning programs cluster in design and technology-adjacent fields. Design and Applied Arts leads with median earnings of $53,773 four years after enrollment across 38 graduates, while Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft graduates earn $43,576 and Fine and Studio Arts graduates earn $39,242. These fields reflect the intersection of creative practice with applied professional skills — areas where arts training translates directly into stable employment in Seattle's creative industries and broader design economy. Dance rounds out the top earners with graduates earning $34,503. The earnings pattern at Cornish College of the Arts reflects the reality of arts-focused institutions: some graduates pursue high-mobility creative and design careers with strong four-year earnings, while others enter grad-school-dependent pathways in fine arts, performance, and music where four-year earnings undercount lifetime trajectory because many continue to graduate study, artist residencies, or performance careers that build over time. The supply and demand for college graduates provides context for how creative-industry fields align with regional labor-market conditions in the Pacific Northwest.
Lower quartile, 10-year field
Upper quartile, 10-year field
Graduates of Cornish College of the Arts earn median 4-year earnings of $40,939, placing Cornish College of the Arts in the 1.5 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $29,981 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Cornish College of the Arts in the 2.2 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Cornish College of the Arts #1422 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. These outcomes reflect the institution's focus on visual and performing arts, where career trajectories and earnings vary significantly by discipline and individual artistic success. The earnings pattern across Cornish College of the Arts's programs reflects the diversity of creative fields. Design and Applied Arts is the largest program with 38 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $53,773, representing 1.0x the national benchmark for the field. The Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft program graduates 26 students with median earnings of $43,576, while Fine and Studio Arts and Music round out the core program portfolio. The Dance program graduates 8 students with median 4-year earnings of $34,503. As a specialized arts institution, Cornish's graduate outcomes depend heavily on individual talent, portfolio strength, and post-graduation career choices in creative industries where earnings growth often extends beyond the immediate post-graduation period.
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
