Design and Applied Arts at University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Starting a design career at $28,206 means your graduate will likely struggle to make student loan payments, even with the relatively modest $20,416 debt load. With a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.72, they'd be committing roughly 9 months of their first year's gross income to pay off loans—a challenging proposition for creative professionals who often piece together freelance work early in their careers.

The small sample size here (under 30 graduates) warrants skepticism, but the available numbers don't inspire confidence. This program lands at just the 26th percentile nationally for design and applied arts earnings, meaning three-quarters of similar programs produce better-paying outcomes. Even within Louisiana's limited design market, it ranks only at the 40th percentile—essentially middle-of-the-pack among the state's five programs. Louisiana Tech graduates earn slightly more with similar debt.

For families on tight budgets (39% of students here receive Pell grants), this combination creates real risk. Your child would graduate with debt that's higher than 88% of design programs nationally while earning less than most peers. Unless your student has exceptional portfolio work or family connections in the field that could accelerate their career trajectory, this program doesn't offer enough financial cushion to justify the investment over more affordable options like starting at community college.