Design and Applied Arts at Academy of Art University

Academy of Art's associate program in design comes with a significant caveat: the sample size is too small to draw firm conclusions. That said, the available numbers tell a story worth understanding before you write a tuition check.

The debt load stands out immediately—$33,437 is more than twice California's median for design programs and over double the national average. You're looking at debt that exceeds first-year earnings by 26%, which means substantial monthly payments on an entry-level creative salary of $26,478. While earnings do climb to $37,278 by year four (a respectable 41% increase), that starting salary still means your child will likely be living paycheck-to-paycheck in one of America's most expensive cities while servicing this debt. The program does perform better than the California median in earnings—hitting the 60th percentile statewide—but that's partly because the state median sits at just $26,478, the same as Academy of Art's first-year figure.

The real question is whether a two-year credential justifies this debt burden when cheaper community college options exist throughout California. With 42% of students receiving Pell grants, many families here are taking on this debt without significant financial cushion. Unless your child has a clear path to the higher-earning design specialties and you've exhausted more affordable alternatives, this program's cost structure presents a risky financial foundation for a creative career.