Highest-Paying Visual & Performing Arts Programs
Colleges whose visual & performing arts graduates earn the most one year after finishing, across all bachelor's programs in the field.
Ranked by median earnings, 1 year after completing · 796 of 2,406 institutions report this measure · Compiled 2026-09-01
Chase these schools
Top schools on this list that also show up elsewhere — hop lists without leaving the trail.
#3
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA
#8
Duke University
Durham, NC
#13
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN
- 1Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteTroy, NY · Private$67,660Compare nearby
- 2Lawrence Technological UniversitySouthfield, MI · Private$67,101Compare nearby
- 3Carnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburgh, PA · Private$58,046Compare nearby
Also on 12 other lists
- Social Sciences#2
- Business#3
- Multidisciplinary Studies#4
- Best Early-Career Earnings, 6 Years After Enrolling#6
- Philosophy & Religious Studies#6
- Mathematics & Statistics#8
- Physical Sciences#8
- the Highest SAT Averages#10
- Graduates Earn the Most 10 Years Out#11
- Architecture#12
- Best Student-to-Faculty Ratios#13
- Computer Science#19
- 4Wentworth Institute of TechnologyBoston, MA · Private$51,412Compare nearby
- 5Georgia Institute of Technology-Main CampusAtlanta, GA · Public$48,823Compare nearby
- 6Endicott CollegeBeverly, MA · Private$46,999Compare nearby
- 7Marymount UniversityArlington, VA · Private$46,869Compare nearby
- 8Duke UniversityDurham, NC · Private$46,769Compare nearby
- 9Chaminade University of HonoluluHonolulu, HI · Private$45,500Compare nearby
- 10Colgate UniversityHamilton, NY · Private$44,384Compare nearby
- 11Stonehill CollegeEaston, MA · Private$43,672Compare nearby
- 12LIM CollegeNew York, NY · For-profit$43,240Compare nearby
- 13University of Notre DameNotre Dame, IN · Private$43,129Compare nearby
- 14Emmanuel CollegeBoston, MA · Private$42,682Compare nearby
- 15New Jersey Institute of TechnologyNewark, NJ · Public$42,682Compare nearby
- 16Franklin UniversityColumbus, OH · Private$42,532Compare nearby
- 17George Washington UniversityWashington, DC · Private$41,565Compare nearby
- 18Dickinson CollegeCarlisle, PA · Private$41,565Compare nearby
- 19Lafayette CollegeEaston, PA · Private$41,565Compare nearby
- 20California Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoSan Luis Obispo, CA · Public$40,896Compare nearby
- 21La Roche UniversityPittsburgh, PA · Private$40,467Compare nearby
- 22Northeastern UniversityBoston, MA · Private$40,257Compare nearby
- 23Otis College of Art and DesignLos Angeles, CA · Private$39,909Compare nearby
- 24Colorado CollegeColorado Springs, CO · Private$39,369Compare nearby
- 25Texas Southern UniversityHouston, TX · Public$39,369Compare nearby
How this list was built
- Measure
- Median earnings, 1 year after completing — sorted highest to lowest
- Source variable
EARN_MDN_HI_1YR- Dataset
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most-Recent-Cohorts-Field-of-Study (04-17-2025 release)
- Where a college offers several visual & performing arts programs, the figure shown is the median across those programs.
- Earnings cover graduates who received federal financial aid, were working and not enrolled one year after completing, and whose highest credential is that bachelor's degree.
- 796 institutions report earnings for this field; programs with too few graduates are suppressed for privacy by the Department of Education and cannot be ranked.
A single measure is a narrow way to judge a college. Read this alongside the others, and see the methodology for what these figures do and do not capture.
Keep exploring
- Re-rank with your weightsRe-score with your weights, filtered to Visual & Performing Arts
- Showdown: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute vs Lawrence Technological UniversityHigher-or-lower on Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Live leaderboardReshuffle Top 10–50 on one Scorecard measure
- Explore games & mapsShowdown, Name That College, sports, and more lists
- Sports at Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteEADA programs for the #1 school on this list
Keep going
Highest-Paying Philosophy & Religious Studies Programs
Colleges whose philosophy & religious studies graduates earn the most one year after finishing, across all bachelor's programs in the field.
Highest-Paying Theology Programs
Colleges whose theology graduates earn the most one year after finishing, across all bachelor's programs in the field.
Highest-Paying Physical Sciences Programs
Colleges whose physical sciences graduates earn the most one year after finishing, across all bachelor's programs in the field.