University of West Georgia Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

  • Bachelor's in Fine and Studio Arts
  • Public university
  • Carrollton, GA
  • About 36 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of West Georgia fine and studio arts graduates earn about what fine and studio arts graduates earn nationally, $25,093 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $31,000 in federal loans, more than at 95% of fine and studio arts programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying fine and studio arts degrees in Georgia.

First-year earnings$25,09353rd percentile of 384 programs nationally
Earnings after 5 years$43,41073% more than year one
Median federal debt$31,00011th lowest of 11 Georgia programs
Debt-to-earnings124%Georgia median 128%, national 97%

How it compares

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

Five years out, University of West Georgia graduates earn more than the national figure and about $7,652 more than the Georgia median.

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

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

University of West GeorgiaOther Georgia 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 73% between the first and fifth year.

University of West Georgia grads, year 1$25,093
University of West Georgia grads, year 5$43,410
All Georgia fine and studio arts grads, year 5$35,759

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 $329 a month, or 15.7% 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. Separately, 23 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $17,827.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

85% of graduates (51 of 60) were working in Georgia one year after graduating. Prices in the Atlanta area are about the same as the national average.

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

$75,480

Median pay in Georgia. 25,730 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $49,450Top 10%: $96,820

Property Appraisers and Assessors

$62,460

Median pay in Georgia. 2,490 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $36,300Top 10%: $118,750

Art Directors

$110,430

Median pay in Georgia. 1,420 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $49,990Top 10%: $198,360

Photographers

$43,770

Median pay in Georgia. 1,420 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $22,690Top 10%: $103,550

About University of West Georgia

Fine and Studio Arts ranks 22nd of 25 bachelor's programs at University of West Georgia by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($77,140), Computer and Information Science ($69,653), and Accounting ($53,940).

Other fine and studio arts bachelor's programs near Carrollton

Common questions

The median graduate earns $25,093 one year after graduating and $43,410 five years after. The median across fine and studio arts bachelor's programs in Georgia is $22,170.

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 Georgia 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

  1. U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
  2. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
  3. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
  4. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

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