How much debt do Saint Norbert College design and applied arts graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 5th lowest of 9 design and applied arts bachelor's programs in Wisconsin. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a design and applied arts degree from Saint Norbert College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 71% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 77%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Wisconsin programs report higher pay.

Saint Norbert College Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Design and Applied Arts
Private nonprofit college
De Pere, WI
About 9 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Saint Norbert College design and applied arts graduates earn about what design and applied arts graduates earn nationally, $37,856 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $27,000. Several Wisconsin programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$37,85671st percentile of 297 programs nationally

Median federal debt$27,0005th lowest of 9 Wisconsin programs

Debt-to-earnings71%Wisconsin median 71%, national 77%

How it compares

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

	Saint Norbert College	Wisconsin	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$37,856	$36,920	$33,536
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$27,000	$27,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	71%	71%	77%
Programs compared		9	297

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

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

Saint Norbert CollegeOther Wisconsin 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 $286 a month, or 9.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Green Bay area are about 7% below the national average, so a $37,856 salary here buys what about $40,668 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

$59,900

Median pay in Wisconsin. 4,130 people work in this job in Wisconsin. 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%: $42,680Top 10%: $85,050

Web and Digital Interface Designers

$95,340

Median pay in Wisconsin. 880 people work in this job in Wisconsin. 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%: $57,980Top 10%: $138,410

Interior Designers

$62,740

Median pay in Wisconsin. 1,200 people work in this job in Wisconsin. 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%: $35,740Top 10%: $99,940

Art Directors

$81,130

Median pay in Wisconsin. 730 people work in this job in Wisconsin. 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%: $58,470Top 10%: $131,850

About Saint Norbert College

Tuition and fees	$45,580 / year
Average net price after aid	$26,172 / year
Admission rate	86%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	71%
Undergraduate students	1,662

Design and Applied Arts ranks 12th of 15 bachelor's programs at Saint Norbert College by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($70,730), Accounting ($59,630), and Economics ($53,350).

Other design and applied arts bachelor's programs near De Pere

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Saint Norbert CollegeDe Pere, WI · private nonprofit		$37,856	$27,000
UW-Green BayGreen Bay, WI · public	9 mi	$32,991	$18,186

Common questions

The median graduate earns $37,856 one year after graduating. The median across design and applied arts bachelor's programs in Wisconsin is $36,920.

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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin, ranked9 programs by pay and debt Design and Applied Arts bachelor's programs in the US, ranked297 programs by pay and debt All Saint Norbert College programs, ranked15 programs by pay and debt