Bachelor's · San Francisco, California
Is Fine and Studio Arts at California College of the Arts worth it?
Medium confidence Medium confidence: 40–99 graduates behind the earnings figures.
The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans
Graduates typically don't earn back the cost within 20 years, compared with the no-degree baseline.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $29,988
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $47,274
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $15,000
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Net cost to graduate, all families
- $174k (likely $174k – $191k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- $7k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in CA
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- Not within 20 years in most scenarios
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- −$332k (likely −$400k – −$272k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- −$224k (likely −$357k – −$79k)
- Today's dollars
- Odds of finishing (school-wide)
- 64%
- Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Borrowers making progress / in default, 2 years in
- not reported / ≤ 20%
- NSLDS AY2016-17, AY2017-18 pooled cohorts measured in 2018-19, 2019-20
Change income, residency or loans Compare Fine and Studio Arts at other schools
🎨 Getting ready in high school
Students heading toward art, design & performance majors like this one often take these classes. Every school offers a different mix, so check with your counselor.
AP classes
- AP 2-D Art and Design
- AP Drawing
- AP Art History
- AP Music Theory
IB Higher Level
- Visual Arts HL
- Music HL or Theatre HL or Film HL
Build my roadmap 🗺️ Middle school to career, plus high schools near you that offer these classes.
Other majors at California College of the Arts
- Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's)$157,122
- Human Computer Interaction (Bachelor's)$149,149
- Architectural Sciences and Technology (Bachelor's)$70,221
- Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's)$59,238
- Fine and Studio Arts (Master's)$57,717
- Graphic Communications (Bachelor's)$31,068
- Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's)$26,006
Fine and Studio Arts at other schools in California
- University of Southern California$72,428
- California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo$59,721
- Loyola Marymount University$58,468
- University of California-Berkeley$51,699
- University of California-San Diego$48,506
- Biola University$47,596
- University of California-Santa Barbara$46,428
- University of California-Los Angeles$46,173
- California State University-East Bay$46,136
- Sonoma State University$46,022