Is a design and applied arts degree from University of Hartford worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 91% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 77%. Compare the cost with other Connecticut programs before deciding.

University of Hartford Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do University of Hartford design and applied arts graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 3rd lowest of 5 design and applied arts bachelor's programs in Connecticut. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do University of Hartford design and applied arts graduates stay in Connecticut?

Most do. 67% (34 of 51) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Design and Applied Arts
Private nonprofit university
West Hartford, CT
About 27 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Hartford design and applied arts graduates earn about what design and applied arts graduates earn nationally, $29,515 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $27,000. Several Connecticut programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$29,51533rd percentile of 297 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$44,30750% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,0003rd lowest of 5 Connecticut programs

Debt-to-earnings91%Connecticut median 87%, national 77%

How it compares

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

	University of Hartford	Connecticut	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$29,515	$31,207	$33,536
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$44,307	$47,145	$50,431
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$27,000	$27,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	91%	87%	77%
Programs compared		5	297

Five years out, University of Hartford graduates earn less than the national figure and about $2,838 less than the Connecticut median.

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

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

University of HartfordOther 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 50% between the first and fifth year.

University of Hartford grads, year 1$29,515

University of Hartford grads, year 5$44,307

All Connecticut design and applied arts grads, year 5$47,145

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. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$29,959Median debt $27,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$27,509Median debt $26,697

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 11.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (59 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	40–59%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
In default	20% 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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

67% of graduates (34 of 51) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating. Prices in the Hartford area are about 3% above the national average, so a $29,515 salary here buys what about $28,726 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

$72,700

Median pay in Connecticut. 1,930 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $47,420Top 10%: $106,830

Web and Digital Interface Designers

$94,660

Median pay in Connecticut. 1,060 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $53,240Top 10%: $131,470

Interior Designers

$67,330

Median pay in Connecticut. 630 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $44,320Top 10%: $117,610

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

About University of Hartford

Tuition and fees	$49,075 / year
Average net price after aid	$30,282 / year
Admission rate	96%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	54%
Undergraduate students	4,146

Design and Applied Arts ranks 20th of 24 bachelor's programs at University of Hartford by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($106,348), Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($73,906), and Mechanical Engineering ($73,871).

Other design and applied arts bachelor's programs near West Hartford

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of HartfordWest Hartford, CT · private nonprofit		$29,515	$27,000
Central Connecticut StateNew Britain, CT · public	8 mi	$34,930	$22,641
Quinnipiac UniversityHamden, CT · private nonprofit	28 mi	$35,884	$26,976
University of New HavenWest Haven, CT · private nonprofit	37 mi	$26,425	$27,000
University of BridgeportBridgeport, CT · private nonprofit	50 mi	$31,207	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $29,515 one year after graduating and $44,307 five years after. The median across design and applied arts bachelor's programs in Connecticut is $31,207.

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 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 Connecticut, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Design and Applied Arts bachelor's programs in the US, ranked297 programs by pay and debt All University of Hartford programs, ranked25 programs by pay and debt