MAJORS · 30 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is a design & applied arts degree worth it?
Part of Visual Arts and Music — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$90,767. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$90,767
across 379 bachelor’s programs · 45,185 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$79K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
−$87K ⟷ +$290K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
43.1%
MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE
34
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
+$3K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$131K
Questions
- Is a design & applied arts degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 379 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Design & Applied Arts is +$90,767 and the median is +$78,596. 43.1% of graduates in this field never break even on the degree. The honest answer depends heavily on the specific program and school: the middle half of graduates land between −$87,340 and +$290,038.
- How long until a design & applied arts degree pays off?
- Among Design & Applied Arts programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 34 (FREOPP 2021). 43.1% of graduates in the field are in programs that never break even at all.
- Does the school matter for a design & applied arts major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Design & Applied Arts graduates span −$87,340 to +$290,038 — a +$377K spread within one major. The same field can be a strong trade at one school and a losing one at another, which is why the per-school number matters more than the field average.
↓ Download the data (CSV) · All 115 subfields with full statistics. Free to cite with attribution. · Methodology
Cite this:
LE TEEN (2026). “Design & Applied Arts: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/design-and-applied-arts