Academy of Art University
San Francisco, California · Private, for-profit
Graduate earnings
12of 15 assessed undergraduate programs
have graduates earning more than a typical California high-school graduate (about $36,976 a year). 3 fall short.
15 of 44 undergraduate programs could be assessed. The other 29: 28 with no earnings published and 1 with nothing reported. The 19 graduate programs are in the table.
Average net price, all families$40,613 a year By family income
What it would cost
Net price is the yearly cost after grants and scholarships, as reported for students who received federal aid.
Average for all families
$40,613 a year
About $162,452 over 4 years, if price and aid stay the same.
This multiplies the reported yearly net price by the years you choose. It is not a quote or a prediction: it leaves out interest, price rises and the chance of taking longer to finish.
Net price for every income band
| Family income | Net price per year |
|---|---|
| Under $30k | $37,668 |
| $30k to $48k | $36,340 |
| $48k to $75k | $43,874 |
| $75k to $110k | $43,953 |
| $110k and up | $44,082 |
| All families (average) | $40,613 |
College Scorecard, release 2026-06-10. Bands with no figure were not reported by the school.
Program earnings
Median earnings of each program’s graduates against a typical California high-school graduate ($36,976 a year).
24 of 63 programs could be assessed 38% have an earnings verdict
| Program | Degree | Median earnings | vs a high-school grad | Verdict | Median debt | Debt as years of gain | Recent completers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Software and Media Applications | Master's Degree | $87,998 | +$51,022 | above HS line | $71,352 | 1.4 yrs | 182 |
| Computer Software and Media Applications | Bachelor's Degree | $73,398 | +$36,422 | clears the bar | $36,750 | 1.0 yrs | 112 |
| Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians | Master's Degree | $71,613 | +$34,637 | above HS line | $84,794 | 2.4 yrs | 97 |
| Graphic Communications | Bachelor's Degree | $50,833 | +$13,857 | clears the bar | $31,125 | 2.2 yrs | 74 |
| Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians | Bachelor's Degree | $66,783 | +$29,807 | clears the bar | $40,171 | 1.3 yrs | 73 |
| Graphic Communications | Master's Degree | $64,026 | +$27,050 | above HS line | $83,224 | 3.1 yrs | 69 |
| Design | Bachelor's Degree | $38,583 | +$1,607 | clears the bar | $31,500 | 19.6 yrs | 63 |
| Film and Photography | Bachelor's Degree | $46,726 | +$9,750 | clears the bar | $33,812 | 3.5 yrs | 56 |
| Film and Photography | Master's Degree | $58,879 | +$21,903 | above HS line | $113,213 | 5.2 yrs | 52 |
| Design | Master's Degree | $57,636 | +$20,660 | above HS line | $93,267 | 4.5 yrs | 51 |
| Apparel and Textiles | Bachelor's Degree | $41,565 | +$4,589 | clears the bar | $25,500 | 5.6 yrs | 49 |
| Fine Arts | Master's Degree | $46,730 | +$9,754 | above HS line | $91,156 | 9.3 yrs | 47 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, General | Master's Degree | $51,874 | +$14,898 | above HS line | not published | not assessed | 29 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, General | Bachelor's Degree | $43,084 | +$6,108 | clears the bar | $31,000 | 5.1 yrs | 23 |
| Radio, TV and Digital Media | Bachelor's Degree | $54,087 | +$17,111 | clears the bar | $23,473 | 1.4 yrs | 20 |
| Computer Software and Media Applications | Associate's Degree | $60,731 | +$23,755 | clears the bar | $31,211 | 1.3 yrs | 16 |
| Design | Associate's Degree | $40,595 | +$3,619 | clears the bar | $31,937 | 8.8 yrs | 15 |
| Film and Photography | Associate's Degree | $42,221 | +$5,245 | clears the bar | $32,187 | 6.1 yrs | 15 |
| Theatre | Master's Degree | $36,6351-year earnings | -$341 | below HS line (1-yr) | $104,875 | no earnings gain | 14 |
| Music | Bachelor's Degree | $33,151 | -$3,825 | falls short | $29,910 | no earnings gain | 14 |
| Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations | Master's Degree | $62,856 | +$25,880 | above HS line | not published | not assessed | 14 |
| Theatre | Bachelor's Degree | $35,870 | -$1,106 | falls short | $30,666 | no earnings gain | 12 |
| Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations | Bachelor's Degree | $60,284 | +$23,308 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 12 |
| Apparel and Textiles | Associate's Degree | $29,584 | -$7,392 | falls short | $18,828 | no earnings gain | 6 |
| Fine Arts | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | $39,570 | not assessed | 23 |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 13 |
| Music | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 13 |
| Radio, TV and Digital Media | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 12 |
| Educational/Instructional Media Design | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 11 |
| Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 9 |
| Graphic Communications | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 8 |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 7 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, General | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 7 |
| Music | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 6 |
| Apparel and Textiles | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 5 |
| Landscape Architecture | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| Educational/Instructional Media Design | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| Landscape Architecture | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Landscape Architecture | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Journalism | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Computer Programming | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Teacher Education (by subject) | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Auto Repair Technology | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Fine Arts | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| Journalism | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| Theatre | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| Communications and Media | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Communications and Media | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Journalism | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Graphic Communications | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Computer Software and Media Applications | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Teacher Education (by subject) | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Teacher Education (by subject) | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Design | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Film and Photography | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Fine Arts | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Architecture | Bachelor's Degree | not reported | not reported | nothing reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
Sources and definitions
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, release 2026-06-10. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid. Debt is federal loans only.
- The high-school line is ED’s state benchmark, $36,976 a year.
- Earnings not published: ED reports the program but no earnings figure, usually because too few graduates were measured. Nothing reported: ED lists the program with no figures at all. Neither is a judgement of the program.
- Debt as years of gain is median federal debt divided by how much more graduates earn per year than a typical high-school graduate. It is not a repayment time.
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