Best Schools for Fine and Studio Arts in 2026

385 schools ranked by DegreeWorth Score · Updated 2026

These are the top schools offering Fine and Studio Arts, ranked by DegreeWorth Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Fine and Studio Arts graduate earns $25,391/yr across 385 schools.

Programs Ranked
385
Avg Earnings
$25,391/yr
Avg DW Score
30/100
AI Risk
Moderate
40% task exposure

All Fine and Studio Arts Programs Ranked

Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.

# School DW Score Earnings ROI
1 California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA · Public
58
53–59
$36,006/yr 18.8x
2 California State University-East Bay
Hayward, CA · Public
49
44–50
$33,220/yr 18.3x
3 Fort Hays State University
Hays, KS · Public
47
42–48
$31,909/yr 21.1x
4 University of Massachusetts-Lowell
Lowell, MA · Public
47
41–47
$36,236/yr 8.6x
5 Empire State University
Saratoga Springs, NY · Public
47
41–47
$39,946/yr 12.1x
6 University of Nebraska at Kearney
Kearney, NE · Public
46
40–47
$40,501/yr 12.2x
7 Ramapo College of New Jersey
Mahwah, NJ · Public
45
39–45
$44,529/yr 6.7x
8 University of Maryland-College Park
College Park, MD · Public
44
39–45
$32,031/yr 11.3x
9 University of North Florida
Jacksonville, FL · Public
43
38–44
$31,770/yr 16.5x
10 University of Georgia
Athens, GA · Public
43
37–43
$34,056/yr 10.5x
11 Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX · Public
43
37–43
$35,115/yr 12.1x
12 University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
Oshkosh, WI · Public
43
37–44
$38,585/yr 11.5x
13 Minnesota State University-Mankato
Mankato, MN · Public
42
37–43
$38,717/yr 10.2x
14 Montana State University
Bozeman, MT · Public
42
37–42
$32,265/yr 13.2x
15 Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY · Public
42
39–42
$23,428/yr 20.2x
16 University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT · Public
42
37–43
$33,081/yr 11.9x
17 University of Wyoming
Laramie, WY · Public
42
38–42
$27,156/yr 16.8x
18 Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw, GA · Public
42
36–42
$35,846/yr 14.1x
19 Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL · Public
41
37–42
$28,726/yr 20.4x
20 Oklahoma State University-Main Campus
Stillwater, OK · Public
41
35–41
$36,547/yr 7.9x
21 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, VA · Public
41
35–41
$36,927/yr 7.1x
22 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Eau Claire, WI · Public
41
36–42
$34,582/yr 11.2x
23 University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
Denver, CO · Public
40
35–41
$31,144/yr 11.2x
24 Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL · Public
40
36–40
$26,785/yr 18.2x
25 Northeastern Illinois University
Chicago, IL · Public
40
35–41
$30,845/yr 9.8x
26 Nicholls State University
Thibodaux, LA · Public
40
35–40
$33,877/yr 9.4x
27 CUNY Lehman College
Bronx, NY · Public
40
36–40
$27,582/yr 14.7x
28 University of Alabama in Huntsville
Huntsville, AL · Public
39
33–39
$35,123/yr 6.5x
29 Athens State University
Athens, AL · Public
39
34–40
$38,006/yr
30 Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS · Public
39
34–39
$28,218/yr 10.8x
31 Saint Cloud State University
Saint Cloud, MN · Public
39
35–40
$30,051/yr 11.2x
32 The College of New Jersey
Ewing, NJ · Public
39
34–40
$33,214/yr 6.5x
33 Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development
Santa Fe, NM · Public
39
34–40
$29,835/yr 11.9x
34 University of Houston-Clear Lake
Houston, TX · Public
39
36–40
$25,274/yr 15.0x
35 Brigham Young University
Provo, UT · Private nonprofit
39
34–40
$34,241/yr 12.6x
36 James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA · Public
39
34–40
$33,501/yr 8.3x
37 University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Platteville, WI · Public
39
33–39
$37,379/yr 9.6x
38 California State University-Northridge
Northridge, CA · Public
38
34–38
$25,359/yr 15.1x
39 University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit
38
32–38
$50,161/yr 1.2x
40 University of West Georgia
Carrollton, GA · Public
38
35–38
$25,093/yr 17.2x
41 Binghamton University
Vestal, NY · Public
38
34–38
$25,751/yr 11.7x
42 California State University-Fullerton
Fullerton, CA · Public
37
34–37
$22,839/yr 15.3x
43 Illinois State University
Normal, IL · Public
37
32–38
$35,967/yr 6.1x
44 Indiana University-Southeast
New Albany, IN · Public
37
32–37
$31,194/yr 8.5x
45 McNeese State University
Lake Charles, LA · Public
37
32–37
$31,226/yr 8.2x
46 Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY · Private nonprofit
37
31–37
$51,435/yr 1.0x
47 Ohio University-Eastern Campus
Saint Clairsville, OH · Public
37
32–37
$29,053/yr 13.9x
48 Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus
Chillicothe, OH · Public
37
32–37
$29,053/yr 13.9x
49 Ohio University-Southern Campus
Ironton, OH · Public
37
32–37
$29,053/yr 13.9x
50 Ohio University-Lancaster Campus
Lancaster, OH · Public
37
32–37
$29,053/yr 13.9x

Methodology

Programs are ranked by DegreeWorth Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (10-year projected earnings vs. 4-year tuition).

Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best school for Fine and Studio Arts?
Based on our DegreeWorth Score, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ranks #1 for Fine and Studio Arts with a score of 58/100 and graduate earnings of $36,006/yr.
How much do Fine and Studio Arts graduates earn?
Across 385 schools, Fine and Studio Arts graduates earn an average of $25,391/yr in their first year. The highest-earning program reports $51,435/yr.
Is Fine and Studio Arts a good major for AI resistance?
Fine and Studio Arts has an average AI task exposure of 40%, rated "Moderate". This field has moderate AI exposure — some career paths are more resilient than others.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Last updated 2025.