MAJORS · 2 OF 19 BY ROI

Is a visual arts and music degree worth it?

On average, no — the mean lifetime ROI is −$68,014, by FREOPP’s own published number. The honest details matter.

MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED

−$68,014

across 2,146 bachelor’s programs · 167,416 graduates

MEDIAN GRADUATE

−$93K

MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN

−$234K ⟷ +$62K

NEVER BREAK EVEN

67.9%

MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE

38

ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES

−$98K

IF YOU DROP OUT

−$124K

The biggest fields inside Visual Arts and Music

  1. Fine and Studio Arts. 48,588 grads −$104K
  2. Design and Applied Arts. 45,185 grads +$91K
  3. Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft. 20,828 grads −$169K
  4. Film/Video and Photographic Arts. 20,318 grads −$152K
  5. Music. 17,592 grads −$101K

Mean lifetime ROI per field, cohort-weighted. A category average hides this spread — and the per-school spread inside each field is wider still.

Questions

Is a visual arts and music degree worth it?
On average no — across 2,146 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Visual Arts and Music is −$68,014 and the median is −$92,704. 67.9% of graduates in this category never break even on the degree. The honest answer depends heavily on the specific program and school: the middle half of graduates land between −$234,228 and +$62,317.
How long until a visual arts and music degree pays off?
Among Visual Arts and Music programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 38 (FREOPP 2021). 67.9% of graduates in the category are in programs that never break even at all.
Does the school matter for a visual arts and music major?
Enormously. The middle 50% of Visual Arts and Music graduates span −$234,228 to +$62,317 — a +$297K 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 category average.

↓ Download the data (CSV) · All 19 categories with full statistics. Free to cite with attribution. · Methodology

Cite this:

LE TEEN (2026). “Visual Arts and Music: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/visual-arts-and-music