Fine and Studio Arts at Brigham Young University-Idaho

BYU-Idaho's Fine Arts program delivers something increasingly rare in arts education: genuinely manageable debt. At $14,405, graduates carry roughly half the national median debt load for this degree, placing it in the 95th percentile nationally—meaning only 5% of comparable programs nationwide have lower debt burdens. Combined with first-year earnings of $25,081, the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.57 means graduates can realistically pay off their loans without the financial strain that often defines arts careers.

The earnings themselves tell a straightforward story. While starting salaries are modest, they're slightly above both the national median ($24,742) and Idaho's median ($23,849) for fine arts graduates. The 10% growth to $27,620 by year four suggests graduates are gaining traction rather than stalling. Among Idaho's six fine arts programs, this ranks in the 60th percentile—notably, it outperforms the University of Idaho despite BYU-Idaho's near-open admissions.

For families concerned about funding an arts degree, this program presents the most practical scenario available: your student pursues their creative ambitions while accumulating less than $15,000 in debt. That's a loan payment under $150 monthly on standard repayment—manageable even on entry-level arts sector wages. The earnings won't make anyone wealthy, but the debt won't trap anyone either.