Is a fine and studio arts degree from Southern Connecticut State worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 94% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 97%.

Southern Connecticut State Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Southern Connecticut State fine and studio arts graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,000, which ranks 4th lowest of 5 fine and studio arts bachelor's programs in Connecticut. That works out to about $265 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Southern Connecticut State fine and studio arts graduates stay in Connecticut?

Most do. 91% (40 of 44) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Fine and Studio Arts
Public university
New Haven, CT
About 32 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Southern Connecticut State fine and studio arts graduates earn about what fine and studio arts graduates earn nationally, $26,549 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,402. One other Connecticut program reports higher pay.

First-year earnings$26,54963rd percentile of 384 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$47,21078% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,0004th lowest of 5 Connecticut programs

Debt-to-earnings94%Connecticut median 95%, national 97%

How it compares

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

	Southern Connecticut State	Connecticut	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$26,549	$25,465	$24,548
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$47,210	$46,755	$40,835
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,000	$23,750	$25,402
Debt as share of first-year pay	94%	95%	97%
Programs compared		5	384

Five years out, Southern Connecticut State graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the Connecticut median.

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

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

Southern 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 78% between the first and fifth year.

Southern Connecticut State grads, year 1$26,549

Southern Connecticut State grads, year 5$47,210

All Connecticut fine and studio arts grads, year 5$46,755

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

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $265 a month, or 12.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (41 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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

91% of graduates (40 of 44) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating. Prices in the New Haven area are about 5% above the national average, so a $26,549 salary here buys what about $25,391 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

$80,970

Median pay in Connecticut. 14,800 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $51,710Top 10%: $113,610

Property Appraisers and Assessors

$86,050

Median pay in Connecticut. 630 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $56,490Top 10%: $135,240

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

Photographers

$49,790

Median pay in Connecticut. 630 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $34,010Top 10%: $79,880

About Southern Connecticut State

In-state tuition and fees	$13,438 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$27,378 / year
Average net price after aid	$20,857 / year
Admission rate	91%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	50%
Undergraduate students	6,295

Fine and Studio Arts ranks 20th of 22 bachelor's programs at Southern Connecticut State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($87,795), Computer and Information Science ($58,480), and Special Education ($50,641).

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

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Southern Connecticut StateNew Haven, CT · public		$26,549	$25,000
University of HartfordWest Hartford, CT · private nonprofit	34 mi	$25,465	$27,000
Connecticut CollegeNew London, CT · private nonprofit	44 mi	$36,564	$23,250
SUNY Purchase CollegePurchase, NY · public	44 mi	$14,984	$23,850
Eastern Connecticut StateWillimantic, CT · public	46 mi	$23,534	$22,250
UConnStorrs, CT · public	49 mi	$24,419	$23,750
Hofstra UniversityHempstead, NY · private nonprofit	55 mi	$20,770	$21,500
Vassar CollegePoughkeepsie, NY · private nonprofit	55 mi	$19,790	$18,985
Westfield StateWestfield, MA · public	56 mi	$33,440	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $26,549 one year after graduating and $47,210 five years after. The median across fine and studio arts bachelor's programs in Connecticut is $25,465.

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 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 Connecticut, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Fine and Studio Arts bachelor's programs in the US, ranked384 programs by pay and debt All Southern Connecticut State programs, ranked22 programs by pay and debt