Fine and Studio Arts at Skidmore College

Skidmore's Fine Arts program punches well above its weight, placing in the 80th percentile among New York's 79 programs—a notable achievement given the state's competitive arts landscape. First-year earnings of $30,480 exceed both the state median ($24,041) and national median ($24,742), while graduates carry just $18,500 in debt, substantially less than typical borrowing for this degree. That 0.61 debt-to-earnings ratio means graduates face about seven months of first-year income in loans, a manageable starting point for an arts career.

The 54% earnings jump to $46,934 by year four suggests these graduates are building sustainable careers rather than cobbling together gig work. While this trails elite programs like Columbia or Barnard, it outpaces larger schools like Syracuse and represents strong momentum in a notoriously difficult field. The selective admissions (23% acceptance rate) and relatively affluent student body (only 14% on Pell grants) hint that networking and institutional connections may amplify outcomes here.

The major caveat: fewer than 30 graduates contributed to this data, so these numbers could shift with a different cohort. But for families willing to bet on the upside, this represents one of the stronger fine arts investments you'll find—competitive earnings with significantly lower debt than most alternatives.