🎯 Parent/student verdict

Likely

Accessible for most applicants. Expect a high net price across most income brackets.

✅ Best for

  • Strong academic profile (SAT 1165–1450 · ACT 21–31 middle 50% + typically a 3.9+ unweighted GPA in rigorous coursework)
  • Students focused on Visual & Performing Arts (the school's signature program)
  • Families wanting a small undergraduate experience

🎯 The reality

  • Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 1165, or ACT below 21, or unweighted GPA below ~3.80 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)
  • High upfront cost (~$62,858/yr net for families above $110K income) — verify the major's earnings track record before committing

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
M1: Master's - Larger Programs
Total enrollment
3,244
1,000 - 4,999
In-state tuition
$51,400
sticker, before aid
Tuition
$51,400
flat rate (no in/out-of-state split)
Admit rate
91.3%
Accepts the majority
SAT middle 50%
1165–1450
EBRW + Math composite
ACT middle 50%
21–31
composite
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$46,459
median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$31,855
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$46,459
4-year completion
76%
Median debt (completers)
$27,000
Cost of attendance
$78,051
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
16%

💰 True ROI

2.0× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)
$231,656
$57,914/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$80,548
vs sticker $312,204
10-yr earnings total
$464,590
$46,459/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
5.0 yrs
at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At School of Visual Arts, the average net price is $57,914/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$50,966/yr
Family income $30-48k
$51,122/yr
Family income $48-75k
$62,189/yr
Family income $75-110k
$64,863/yr
Family income $110k+
$62,858/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use School of Visual Arts's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from School of Visual Arts →

Opens on School of Visual Arts's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at School of Visual Arts

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what School of Visual Arts actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Visual & Performing Arts
467 degrees · 52.3%
Typical career outcomes
Graphic Designer $59k Art Director $106k Multimedia Artist / Animator $99k Musician / Singer $39k
Highly variable. Steady-pay roles cluster in design, illustration, production. Performance careers have very wide income distributions.
2. Computer & Information Sciences
333 degrees · 37.3%
Typical career outcomes
Software Developer $132k Data Scientist $108k Information Security Analyst $120k Web Developer $85k
High-paying tech roles dominate. Median software roles cluster in the $90k-$130k range.
3. Communications Technologies
76 degrees · 8.5%
Typical career outcomes
Broadcast Technician $56k Sound Engineering Technician $59k Audio / Video Equipment Tech $51k
Broadcast tech, sound engineering, AV production.
4. Communication, Journalism, & Related
17 degrees · 1.9%
Typical career outcomes
Public Relations Specialist $67k Marketing Manager $158k Writer / Editor $75k Reporter / Journalist $58k
Media, PR, marketing communications. Salary spread is wide.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at School of Visual Arts

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP) Credential Cohort 1-yr earnings 4-yr earnings
Computer Software and Media Applications. Bachelor's Degree 256 $36,272 $67,483
Film/Video and Photographic Arts. Bachelor's Degree 142 $20,312 $41,271
Fine and Studio Arts. Bachelor's Degree 61 $21,344 $34,286
Design and Applied Arts. Bachelor's Degree 272 $15,985 $33,288
Graphic Communications. Bachelor's Degree 88 $22,478 $30,125

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

School of Visual Arts vs. another college

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