Design and Applied Arts at EDP University of Puerto Rico-Humacao

With earnings under $13,000 and median debt of $7,900, this Design and Applied Arts program's numbers look alarming at first glance—landing it in the 5th percentile nationally. But that national comparison is misleading. Puerto Rico's economy operates on a fundamentally different wage scale: this program actually sits at the 60th percentile among the island's design programs, and the debt load is half the national average for this field.

The real concern isn't the comparison to mainland schools—it's the absolute earning power. At $13,000 annually, even with relatively modest debt, graduates face serious financial constraints regardless of how they rank against peers. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.61 means the debt is manageable in theory, but when your total annual income is barely above poverty level, any debt becomes a burden. The program serves a predominantly Pell-eligible population (62%), making that income ceiling particularly significant.

For families considering this path: recognize that you're looking at Puerto Rico's design job market, not the national one. If staying on the island is the plan, this program performs competitively. But the small sample size (under 30 graduates) means these numbers could shift significantly, and the earnings ceiling suggests this associate's degree may need to be a stepping stone to a bachelor's program or supplemented with other income sources to achieve financial stability.