Bachelor's · Menomonie, Wisconsin

Is Design and Applied Arts at University of Wisconsin-Stout worth it?

High confidence High confidence: 100+ graduates behind the earnings figures.

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

Pays back in time: graduates typically recover the cost in about 6.1 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $49,000; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $61,996; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $22,750; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $74k (likely $74k – $104k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $21k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in WI; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 6.1 years (likely 5.0–7.7); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: −$77k (likely −$161k – −$24k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $189k (likely $62k – $315k); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 52%; 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 / ≤ 10%; NSLDS AY2016-17, AY2017-18 pooled cohorts measured in 2018-19, 2019-20

Change income, residency or loans Compare Design and Applied 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 University of Wisconsin-Stout

Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's)$123,573
Manufacturing Engineering (Master's)$114,649
Construction Management (Bachelor's)$101,758
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's)$94,440
Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's)$92,803
Polymer/Plastics Engineering (Bachelor's)$88,102
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's)$87,645
Manufacturing Engineering (Bachelor's)$87,431
Human Resources Management and Services (Master's)$86,764
Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor's)$86,490
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's)$82,853
Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications (Bachelor's)$77,269

Design and Applied Arts at other schools in Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin-Madison$65,874
Mount Mary University$49,881
Carthage College$48,431
Rasmussen University-Wisconsin$46,610
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point$46,377
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay$46,376
Edgewood University$44,540
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design$43,944
University of Wisconsin-Parkside$40,410