Bachelor's · Thibodaux, Louisiana

Is Fine and Studio Arts at Nicholls State University worth it?

Low confidence Low confidence: fewer than 40 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back slowly: graduates typically recover the cost in about 11.1 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $35,878; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $42,575; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $25,876; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $57k (likely $57k – $79k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $7k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in LA; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 11.1 years (likely 6.1–20+); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: −$166k (likely −$248k – −$78k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: −$58k (likely −$210k – $137k); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 51%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26