Design and Applied Arts at Rasmussen University-Kansas

Rasmussen's Design and Applied Arts program carries twice the typical debt load for this field—$28,722 compared to a national median of $14,454—even though graduate earnings land right around Kansas state averages at $32,246. That's a 5th percentile debt ranking nationally, meaning 95% of comparable programs nationwide saddle students with less debt. For families already stretched thin (57% of students here receive Pell grants), that gap matters: you're essentially paying premium prices for middle-of-the-pack outcomes.

The earnings themselves aren't bad—graduates out-earn the national median by about $4,400 and perform solidly within Kansas. But Johnson County Community College produces nearly identical earnings ($32,030) presumably at community college pricing. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.89 means graduates face nearly a full year's salary in loans, which is manageable but hardly ideal for an associate degree that should offer quick workforce entry with minimal debt.

If your child is set on design and already enrolled here, the program won't derail their career—earnings are respectable. But for prospective students comparison shopping, community college alternatives in Kansas deliver similar market outcomes without the debt premium. That $14,000 difference in borrowing could mean the difference between financial breathing room and years of tight budgets in a creative field where freelance income often fluctuates.