How much debt do CU Boulder fine and studio arts graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $21,500, which ranks 2nd lowest of 6 fine and studio arts bachelor's programs in Colorado. That works out to about $228 a month over 10 years.

Is a fine and studio arts degree from CU Boulder worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 123% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 97%. Compare the cost with other Colorado programs before deciding.

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

Bachelor's in Fine and Studio Arts
Public university
Boulder, CO
About 69 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

CU Boulder fine and studio arts graduates earn less than graduates of most fine and studio arts programs nationally, $17,501 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $21,500 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,402. Several Colorado programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$17,5018th percentile of 384 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$40,219130% more than year one

Median federal debt$21,5002nd lowest of 6 Colorado programs

Debt-to-earnings123%Colorado median 82%, national 97%

How it compares

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

	CU Boulder	Colorado	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$17,501	$28,050	$24,548
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$40,219	$40,219	$40,835
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,500	$23,250	$25,402
Debt as share of first-year pay	123%	82%	97%
Programs compared		8	384

Five years out, CU Boulder graduates earn about the national figure and about the same as the Colorado median.

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

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

CU BoulderOther Colorado 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 130% between the first and fifth year.

CU Boulder grads, year 1$17,501

CU Boulder grads, year 5$40,219

All Colorado fine and studio arts grads, year 5$40,219

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 $228 a month, or 15.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (46 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

Prices in the Boulder area are about 5% above the national average, so a $17,501 salary here buys what about $16,636 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

$72,900

Median pay in Colorado. 18,310 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $48,970Top 10%: $101,300

Property Appraisers and Assessors

$75,150

Median pay in Colorado. 1,060 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $49,730Top 10%: $130,890

Art Directors

$99,990

Median pay in Colorado. 720 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $73,110Top 10%: $162,610

Photographers

$47,070

Median pay in Colorado. 1,140 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $36,440Top 10%: $92,200

About CU Boulder

In-state tuition and fees	$15,666 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$44,918 / year
Average net price after aid	$25,346 / year
Admission rate	78%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	74%
Undergraduate students	31,939

Fine and Studio Arts ranks 39th of 39 bachelor's programs at CU Boulder by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($88,957), Computer Engineering ($86,211), and Aerospace Engineering ($81,835).

Other fine and studio arts bachelor's programs near Boulder

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
CU BoulderBoulder, CO · public		$17,501	$21,500
Metropolitan State University of DenverDenver, CO · public	23 mi	$26,102	$31,000
CU DenverDenver, CO · public	29 mi	$31,144	$25,490
Colorado StateFort Collins, CO · public	40 mi	$30,143	$21,500
University of Northern ColoradoGreeley, CO · public	41 mi	$30,663	$25,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $17,501 one year after graduating and $40,219 five years after. The median across fine and studio arts bachelor's programs in Colorado is $28,050.

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 Colorado 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 Colorado, ranked8 programs by pay and debt Fine and Studio Arts bachelor's programs in the US, ranked384 programs by pay and debt All CU Boulder programs, ranked39 programs by pay and debt