Is a design and applied arts degree from Central Connecticut State worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 65% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 77%.

Central Connecticut State Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Central Connecticut State design and applied arts graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $22,641, which ranks the lowest of 5 design and applied arts bachelor's programs in Connecticut. That works out to about $240 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Central Connecticut State design and applied arts graduates stay in Connecticut?

Most do. 85% (40 of 47) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Design and Applied Arts
Public university
New Britain, CT
About 42 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Central Connecticut State design and applied arts graduates earn about what design and applied arts graduates earn nationally, $34,930 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $22,641 in federal loans, less than at 80% of design and applied arts programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying design and applied arts degrees in Connecticut.

First-year earnings$34,93058th percentile of 297 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$53,22252% more than year one

Median federal debt$22,641The lowest of 5 Connecticut programs

Debt-to-earnings65%Connecticut median 87%, national 77%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Connecticut and national columns are the medians across all design and applied arts bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Central Connecticut State	Connecticut	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$34,930	$31,207	$33,536
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$53,222	$47,145	$50,431
Median federal debt at graduation	$22,641	$27,000	$27,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	65%	87%	77%
Programs compared		5	297

Five years out, Central Connecticut State graduates earn more than the national figure and about $6,077 more than the Connecticut median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Connecticut design and applied arts program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Connecticut medians.

Central Connecticut StateOther Connecticut programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 52% between the first and fifth year.

Central Connecticut State grads, year 1$34,930

Central Connecticut State grads, year 5$53,222

All Connecticut design and applied arts grads, year 5$47,145

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned more in their first year than other graduates. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$35,928Median debt $24,268

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$31,335Median debt $22,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $240 a month, or 8.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (30 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	60–79%

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

85% of graduates (40 of 47) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating. Prices in the Hartford area are about 3% above the national average, so a $34,930 salary here buys what about $33,996 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to design and applied arts, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Graphic Designers

$72,700

Median pay in Connecticut. 1,930 people work in this job in Connecticut. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 16,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $47,420Top 10%: $106,830

Web and Digital Interface Designers

$94,660

Median pay in Connecticut. 1,060 people work in this job in Connecticut. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 8,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $53,240Top 10%: $131,470

Interior Designers

$67,330

Median pay in Connecticut. 630 people work in this job in Connecticut. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 7,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $44,320Top 10%: $117,610

Art Directors

$71,900

Median pay in Connecticut. 1,160 people work in this job in Connecticut. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 12,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $69,990Top 10%: $161,580

About Central Connecticut State

In-state tuition and fees	$13,050 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$16,550 / year
Average net price after aid	$16,857 / year
Admission rate	73%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	48%
Undergraduate students	7,822

Design and Applied Arts ranks 26th of 33 bachelor's programs at Central Connecticut State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($83,012), Industrial Technology ($74,889), and Mechanical Engineering ($74,676).

Other design and applied arts bachelor's programs near New Britain

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Central Connecticut StateNew Britain, CT · public		$34,930	$22,641
University of HartfordWest Hartford, CT · private nonprofit	8 mi	$29,515	$27,000
Quinnipiac UniversityHamden, CT · private nonprofit	20 mi	$35,884	$26,976
University of New HavenWest Haven, CT · private nonprofit	30 mi	$26,425	$27,000
University of BridgeportBridgeport, CT · private nonprofit	43 mi	$31,207	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $34,930 one year after graduating and $53,222 five years after. The median across design and applied arts bachelor's programs in Connecticut is $31,207.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Connecticut comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the design and applied arts program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Design and Applied Arts bachelor's programs in Connecticut, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Design and Applied Arts bachelor's programs in the US, ranked297 programs by pay and debt All Central Connecticut State programs, ranked33 programs by pay and debt