Fine and Studio Arts at SUNY College at Potsdam

SUNY Potsdam's Fine and Studio Arts program produces graduates earning roughly $23,000 in their first year—about 7% below both national and New York state medians for studio arts degrees. Among New York's 79 fine arts programs, this lands around the 40th percentile, trailing not just elite private schools like Columbia but also more accessible options like Syracuse. The upside is relatively modest debt at $27,000, which sits below both state and national medians. Still, with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.18, graduates are borrowing more than their entire first year's salary.

The 15% earnings growth from year one to year four shows some positive trajectory, but we're working with a very small sample size here—fewer than 30 graduates in the data. That means one or two high earners (or low earners) could significantly skew these numbers either direction. For a family considering this program, the real question is whether the lower debt load compensates for below-median earnings, particularly when other SUNY schools might offer similar affordability with better career outcomes.

If your child is committed to studio arts and wants a SUNY education, this program offers manageable debt. But the earning potential lags behind many alternatives in New York, and the small cohort size makes it hard to predict whether these results are representative.