Design and Applied Arts graduates from College of DuPage earn $50,264 median salary — above the national average for this program. Median debt: $11,750.
Design and Applied Arts at College of DuPage
Glen Ellyn, Illinois • Associate's
What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Design and Applied Arts at College of DuPage
This page combines two federal data products: IPEDS institutional characteristics for College of DuPage and the College Scorecard field-of-study (FOS) file for Design and Applied Arts at the associate's credential level. The FOS file is keyed by CIP (Classification of Instructional Programs) code, which means earnings and debt figures here reflect only graduates of this specific program — not the school as a whole. IPEDS reports 52 completers in the most recent cohort for this program at College of DuPage, the denominator behind the median earnings figure.
Median graduate earnings of $50,264 represent Treasury-verified wages approximately one year after program completion, drawn from Social Security Administration records linked to federal financial aid applicants. Compared to the national mean of $32,685 across all institutions offering Design and Applied Arts, graduates here earn above the national average for this program. Across all programs at College of DuPage, the mean median-earnings figure is $58,040, providing internal context for whether this specific field out-earns other options at the same institution.
Debt signals complete the ROI picture. The median cumulative federal loan debt for Design and Applied Arts graduates at College of DuPage is $11,750, which translates to roughly $98 per month on a standard 10-year repayment plan. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.23 is under the 1.0 threshold the College Scorecard uses to flag favorable gainful-employment outcomes — earnings in year one already exceed cumulative borrowing. Program-level debt and earnings come from the Department of Education’s College Scorecard FOS release, updated annually.
Earnings Comparison
Program Details
Debt & ROI
Design and Applied Arts at Other Schools
| School | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|
| The New School | $66,896 | $14,750 |
| Portland Community College | $50,811 | $17,506 |
| College of DuPage (this school) | $50,264 | $11,750 |
| Waukesha County Technical College | $49,509 | $15,554 |
| Minneapolis Community and Technical College | $48,952 | $12,000 |
| CUNY New York City College of Technology | $48,833 | — |
| Johnson County Community College | $48,084 | $9,341 |
| Central Piedmont Community College | $47,967 | — |
| Madison Area Technical College | $47,515 | $12,120 |
| Middlesex Community College | $47,167 | — |
Other Programs at College of DuPage
| Program | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|
| Fire Protection | $89,991 | — |
| Computer Programming | $87,336 | $5,910 |
| Data Entry/Microcomputer Applications | $86,313 | $6,371 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $78,079 | $13,006 |
| Engineering, General | $76,160 | — |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants | $75,450 | $8,312 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | $70,554 | $17,225 |
| Human Resources Management and Services | $70,294 | — |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | $65,890 | — |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | $65,434 | $14,839 |
Other Schools with Design and Applied Arts
Quick picks offering the same program — compare side by side
About the Data
Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard Field of Study file. Earnings are median earnings for graduates after completion, drawn from U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal financial aid applicants. Institutional characteristics come from IPEDS. Debt figures represent the median cumulative federal loan debt at graduation.
Debt-to-earnings ratio compares cumulative debt to annual earnings. A ratio below 1.0 indicates that annual earnings exceed total debt, generally considered favorable. Estimated monthly payments assume a standard 10-year repayment plan.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.