Visual and Performing Arts at Temple University

Temple's Visual and Performing Arts program starts graduates at just $20,667—well below what arts graduates typically earn across Pennsylvania ($24,728 median) and nationally ($25,286). While the sample size here is small enough that individual circumstances could skew these numbers significantly, the pattern is concerning: graduates rank in just the 25th percentile among Pennsylvania arts programs and 21st percentile nationally. For reference, nearby Drexel's arts graduates earn more than double at $51,248, while even East Stroudsburg graduates start higher at $22,349.

The $26,500 debt load is roughly average for arts programs, but paired with those first-year earnings, it creates a debt-to-income ratio of 1.28—meaning graduates owe more than a full year's salary. There's meaningful earnings growth to $28,148 by year four, which helps, but that's still barely reaching what typical arts graduates earn right out of school elsewhere. Temple serves a substantial proportion of Pell-eligible students (30%), so these modest returns hit families who can least afford them.

If your child is passionate about the arts, the small sample size here means you should dig deeper into specific program tracks before making a final call. But based on available data, Temple's arts program isn't delivering the earnings outcomes that would justify this level of debt, especially when other Pennsylvania schools produce noticeably stronger results.