Fine and Studio Arts graduates from Rhode Island School of Design earn $40,568 median salary, below the national average for this program. Median debt: $27,000.
Fine and Studio Arts at Rhode Island School of Design
Providence, Rhode Island • Bachelor's
What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Fine and Studio Arts at Rhode Island School of Design
This page combines two federal data products: IPEDS institutional characteristics for Rhode Island School of Design and the College Scorecard field-of-study (FOS) file for Fine and Studio Arts at the bachelor'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 101 completers in the most recent cohort for this program at Rhode Island School of Design, the denominator behind the median earnings figure.
Median graduate earnings of $40,568 represent Treasury-derived wages, deferred compensation, and positive self-employment earnings four years after program completion for federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled. Compared to the national mean of $41,861 across all institutions offering Fine and Studio Arts, graduates here earn below the national average for this program. Across all programs at Rhode Island School of Design, the mean median-earnings figure is $59,702, 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 Fine and Studio Arts graduates at Rhode Island School of Design is $27,000, which translates to roughly $225 per month on a standard 10-year repayment plan. The descriptive debt-to-earnings ratio is 0.67: reported annual earnings exceed cumulative debt. This is a PlainCollege comparison, not a federal gainful-employment verdict. Program-level debt and four-year post-completion earnings come from the Department of Education’s College Scorecard field-of-study snapshot retrieved in March 2026.
Earnings Comparison
Program Details
Debt & ROI
Fine and Studio Arts at Other Schools
| School | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|
| University of Southern California | $72,428 | $19,750 |
| Dartmouth College | $68,523 | $13,663 |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | $66,846 | $18,767 |
| Vassar College | $63,418 | $18,985 |
| Sacred Heart University | $61,998 | - |
| Connecticut College | $61,321 | $21,500 |
| Brown University | $60,985 | $17,300 |
| Ramapo College of New Jersey | $60,757 | $22,791 |
| Fordham University | $60,515 | $25,250 |
| Binghamton University | $60,299 | $17,750 |
Other Programs at Rhode Island School of Design
| Program | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|
| Design and Applied Arts | $93,136 | - |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | $80,220 | $76,145 |
| Design and Applied Arts | $67,771 | $27,000 |
| Apparel and Textiles | $59,372 | $27,000 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | $51,278 | $27,000 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | $48,215 | $42,005 |
| Fine and Studio Arts (current) | $40,568 | $27,000 |
| Woodworking | $37,055 | $26,558 |
| Architecture | - | - |
| Architecture | - | - |
Other Schools with Fine and Studio 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.
PlainCollege's Scorecard snapshots, retrieved March–July 2026, contain 6,243 postsecondary institutions and 70,827 school-and-program earnings records.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.