Fine and Studio Arts at University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras

The extraordinarily low first-year earnings of $4,699 reflect Puerto Rico's unique economic reality more than this program's failings—these graduates are earning roughly what the island's depressed job market pays entry-level arts workers, and they're actually outearning the typical PR arts graduate by their fourth year. The dramatic 312% earnings jump to $19,346 shows graduates eventually finding their footing, though that's still below the $24,742 national average. The critical advantage here is graduating with just $5,500 in debt, barely a fifth of the typical $25,295 burden arts graduates carry nationwide.

For families weighing options, the math comes down to this: your child leaves with minimal debt from an institution where 65% of students receive Pell grants, suggesting this degree is accessible to students who can't afford mainland tuition. However, even by year four, earnings remain roughly half the mainland average. If your child plans to stay in Puerto Rico's arts economy, this program delivers what's realistic to expect—modest earnings but without the crushing debt that would make those earnings unmanageable. If they're planning to relocate to the mainland after graduation, they'll need to understand they're starting from a significant earnings gap.

The small sample size (under 30 graduates) makes these figures less reliable, but the debt-to-earnings story remains clear: this is arts education for students who need to minimize financial risk above all else.