University of Alabama Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Fine and Studio Arts
- Public university
- Tuscaloosa, AL
- About 30 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
University of Alabama fine and studio arts graduates earn about what fine and studio arts graduates earn nationally, $21,836 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,402. Several Alabama programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Alabama and national columns are the medians across all fine and studio arts bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, University of Alabama graduates earn more than the national figure and about $5,367 more than the Alabama median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Alabama fine and studio arts program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Alabama medians.
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 107% between the first and fifth year.
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 $2,238 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $265 a month, or 14.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
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
50% of graduates (18 of 36) were working in Alabama one year after graduating. Prices in the Tuscaloosa area are about 12% below the national average, so a $21,836 salary here buys what about $24,892 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
$61,990Median pay in Alabama. 15,880 people work in this job in Alabama. 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.
Property Appraisers and Assessors
$61,370Median pay in Alabama. 600 people work in this job in Alabama. 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.
Art Directors
$77,220Median pay in Alabama. 210 people work in this job in Alabama. 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.
Photographers
$36,130Median pay in Alabama. 530 people work in this job in Alabama. 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.
About University of Alabama
Fine and Studio Arts ranks 42nd of 45 bachelor's programs at University of Alabama by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer and Information Science ($83,651), Electrical Engineering ($79,504), and Mechanical Engineering ($75,238).
Other fine and studio arts bachelor's programs near Tuscaloosa
Common questions
The median graduate earns $21,836 one year after graduating and $45,258 five years after. The median across fine and studio arts bachelor's programs in Alabama is $25,150.
The median federal loan balance is $25,000, which ranks 2nd lowest of 8 fine and studio arts bachelor's programs in Alabama. That works out to about $265 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 114% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 97%. Compare the cost with other Alabama programs before deciding.
Most do. 50% (18 of 36) were working in Alabama one year after graduating.
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 Alabama 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