How much debt do Rutgers fine and studio arts graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,975, which ranks 5th lowest of 10 fine and studio arts bachelor's programs in New Jersey. That works out to about $275 a month over 10 years.

Is a fine and studio arts degree from Rutgers 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 Jersey programs before deciding.

Rutgers Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Rutgers fine and studio arts graduates stay in New Jersey?

Most do. 90% (149 of 166) were working in New Jersey one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Fine and Studio Arts
Public university
New Brunswick, NJ
About 54 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Rutgers fine and studio arts graduates earn about what fine and studio arts graduates earn nationally, $21,908 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,975 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,402. Several New Jersey programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$21,90829th percentile of 384 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$48,946123% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,9755th lowest of 10 New Jersey programs

Debt-to-earnings119%New Jersey median 103%, national 97%

How it compares

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

	Rutgers	New Jersey	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$21,908	$25,514	$24,548
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$48,946	$46,398	$40,835
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,975	$26,488	$25,402
Debt as share of first-year pay	119%	103%	97%
Programs compared		10	384

Five years out, Rutgers graduates earn more than the national figure and about $2,548 more than the New Jersey median.

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

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

RutgersOther New Jersey 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 123% between the first and fifth year.

Rutgers grads, year 1$21,908

Rutgers grads, year 5$48,946

All New Jersey fine and studio arts grads, year 5$46,398

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 slightly more in their first year than other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $27,000 against $22,177.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$22,375Median debt $27,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$21,402Median debt $22,177

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $275 a month, or 15.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (167 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	30–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–29%
In default	10% or less

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, 34 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $24,250.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

90% of graduates (149 of 166) were working in New Jersey one year after graduating. Prices in the New York area are about 13% above the national average, so a $21,908 salary here buys what about $19,463 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

$82,200

Median pay in New Jersey. 38,140 people work in this job in New Jersey. 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%: $63,040Top 10%: $108,230

Property Appraisers and Assessors

$92,390

Median pay in New Jersey. 1,190 people work in this job in New Jersey. 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%: $41,040Top 10%: $140,400

Art Directors

$129,200

Median pay in New Jersey. 1,840 people work in this job in New Jersey. 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%: $87,700Top 10%: $195,450

Photographers

$40,520

Median pay in New Jersey. 1,460 people work in this job in New Jersey. 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%: $34,990Top 10%: $91,780

About Rutgers

In-state tuition and fees	$17,929 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$37,441 / year
Average net price after aid	$24,406 / year
Admission rate	58%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	84%
Undergraduate students	37,751

Fine and Studio Arts ranks 69th of 74 bachelor's programs at Rutgers by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($87,594), Electrical Engineering ($82,598), and Computer and Information Science ($80,448).

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

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
RutgersNew Brunswick, NJ · public		$21,908	$25,975
Kean UniversityUnion, NJ · public	17 mi	$25,928	$28,750
TCNJEwing, NJ · public	24 mi	$33,214	$25,000
New Jersey City UniversityJersey City, NJ · public	24 mi	$19,326	$19,000
Brooklyn CollegeBrooklyn, NY · public	28 mi	$22,633	$12,000
Monmouth UniversityWest Long Branch, NJ · private nonprofit	28 mi	$29,353	$27,000
Montclair StateMontclair, NJ · public	28 mi	$21,934	$27,000
NYUNew York, NY · private nonprofit	28 mi	$25,053	$27,000
Pratt InstituteBrooklyn, NY · private nonprofit	29 mi	$18,451	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $21,908 one year after graduating and $48,946 five years after. The median across fine and studio arts bachelor's programs in New Jersey is $25,514.

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 Jersey 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 Jersey, ranked10 programs by pay and debt Fine and Studio Arts bachelor's programs in the US, ranked384 programs by pay and debt All Rutgers programs, ranked75 programs by pay and debt