Fine and Studio Arts at Dartmouth College

Dartmouth's Fine and Studio Arts graduates carry remarkably low debt—just $13,663, among the lowest 5% nationally—but first-year earnings of $30,246 raise questions about return on investment, even with an Ivy League credential. While these graduates earn more than 81% of studio arts majors nationwide, they're actually tracking below the New Hampshire state median of $30,491, landing at the 40th percentile among in-state programs. Put differently: Keene State and Plymouth State graduates start with higher earnings and likely paid far less in total college costs.

The small sample size (under 30 graduates) makes these numbers less reliable, but the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.45 is manageable on paper. The deeper concern is whether families paying Dartmouth's full cost of attendance—likely $70,000+ annually for most students given only 15% receive Pell grants—are getting meaningful career advantages over state school alternatives. Studio arts is notoriously difficult to monetize immediately after graduation regardless of pedigree, and these numbers suggest even elite institutional connections have limited power to change that trajectory in the first year.

For families considering this path: if your child genuinely needs Dartmouth's specific faculty, facilities, or network to develop as an artist, the low debt levels leave room for that choice. But recognize you're making an education-for-education's-sake investment, not a financial one, and state schools deliver comparable early outcomes at a fraction of the price.