University of New Haven Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Design and Applied Arts
- Private nonprofit university
- West Haven, CT
- About 25 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
University of New Haven design and applied arts graduates earn less than graduates of most design and applied arts programs nationally, $26,425 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.
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.
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.
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 13.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
57% of graduates (17 of 30) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating. Prices in the New Haven area are about 5% above the national average, so a $26,425 salary here buys what about $25,273 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
$72,700Median 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.
Web and Digital Interface Designers
$94,660Median 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.
Interior Designers
$67,330Median 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.
Art Directors
$71,900Median 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.
About University of New Haven
Design and Applied Arts ranks 14th of 16 bachelor's programs at University of New Haven by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($85,618), Civil Engineering ($70,495), and Mechanical Engineering ($62,534).
Other design and applied arts bachelor's programs near West Haven
Common questions
The median graduate earns $26,425 one year after graduating. The median across design and applied arts bachelor's programs in Connecticut is $31,207.
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.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 102% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 77%. Compare the cost with other Connecticut programs before deciding.
Most do. 57% (17 of 30) were working in Connecticut 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 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