How much debt do The New School fine and studio arts graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,000, which ranks 22nd lowest of 33 fine and studio arts bachelor's programs in New York. That works out to about $265 a month over 10 years.

Is a fine and studio arts degree from The New School worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 119% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 97%. Compare the cost with other New York programs before deciding.

The New School Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do The New School fine and studio arts graduates stay in New York?

Most do. 75% (36 of 48) were working in New York one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Fine and Studio Arts
Private nonprofit school
New York, NY
About 72 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

The New School fine and studio arts graduates earn less than graduates of most fine and studio arts programs nationally, $20,967 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,402. Several New York programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$20,96722nd percentile of 384 programs nationally

Median federal debt$25,00022nd lowest of 33 New York programs

Debt-to-earnings119%New York median 96%, national 97%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The New York and national columns are the medians across all fine and studio arts bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	The New School	New York	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$20,967	$24,041	$24,548
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,000	$23,000	$25,402
Debt as share of first-year pay	119%	96%	97%
Programs compared		35	384

Debt and first-year pay at every New York fine and studio arts program

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

The New SchoolOther New York programs

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

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $265 a month, or 15.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (44 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	20–39%

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. Separately, 20 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $93,843.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

75% of graduates (36 of 48) were working in New York one year after graduating. Prices in the New York area are about 13% above the national average, so a $20,967 salary here buys what about $18,627 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 fine and studio arts, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$97,070

Median pay in New York. 70,660 people work in this job in New York. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 63,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $60,070Top 10%: $136,450

Property Appraisers and Assessors

$78,060

Median pay in New York. 2,860 people work in this job in New York. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 5,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $52,540Top 10%: $133,150

Art Directors

$137,320

Median pay in New York. 8,720 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $80,060Top 10%: $280,320

Photographers

$60,050

Median pay in New York. 3,650 people work in this job in New York. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 10,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $37,890Top 10%: $109,470

About The New School

Tuition and fees	$58,694 / year
Average net price after aid	$58,741 / year
Admission rate	63%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	69%
Undergraduate students	6,563

Fine and Studio Arts ranks 11th of 13 bachelor's programs at The New School by first-year earnings. The top three are Arts Management ($37,743), Psychology ($34,033), and Radio, TV, and Digital Media ($32,169).

Other fine and studio arts bachelor's programs near New York

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
The New SchoolNew York, NY · private nonprofit		$20,967	$25,000
NYUNew York, NY · private nonprofit	Under 1 mi	$25,053	$27,000
Cooper UnionNew York, NY · private nonprofit	Under 1 mi	$16,678	$16,805
School of Visual ArtsNew York, NY · private for-profit	Under 1 mi	$21,344	$27,000
Fashion Institute of TechnologyNew York, NY · public	Under 1 mi	$23,428	$24,683
Hunter CollegeNew York, NY · public	3 mi	$22,788	$10,000
Pratt InstituteBrooklyn, NY · private nonprofit	4 mi	$18,451	$27,000
New Jersey City UniversityJersey City, NJ · public	5 mi	$19,326	$19,000
Columbia UniversityNew York, NY · private nonprofit	5 mi	$51,435	$26,853

Common questions

The median graduate earns $20,967 one year after graduating. The median across fine and studio arts bachelor's programs in New York is $24,041.

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 New York 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 fine and studio 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

Fine and Studio Arts bachelor's programs in New York, ranked35 programs by pay and debt Fine and Studio Arts bachelor's programs in the US, ranked384 programs by pay and debt All The New School programs, ranked15 programs by pay and debt