Academy of Art University
San Francisco, California · Private, for-profit
Of 24 assessed programs, 20 leave graduates out-earning a typical California high-school graduate (about $36,976/yr) and 4 fall short. Another 39 could not be assessed.
What would this cost you?
| 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 |
Net price is the yearly cost after grants and scholarships, by family income (College Scorecard). It reflects students who received federal aid.
Program earnings vs a high-school graduate
Earnings are measured four years after completion when available. Where four-year earnings are suppressed, one-year earnings are shown and marked 1-year earnings. One-year and four-year figures reflect different career stages and should not be compared as if measured at the same time.
24 of 63 programs could be assessed 38% have an earnings verdict
| Program | Degree | Median earnings | vs a high-school grad | Verdict | Median debt | Years to repay | Recent completers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Software and Media Applications | Master's Degree | $87,998 | +$51,022 | clears the bar | $71,352 | 1.4 yrs | 187 |
| Computer Software and Media Applications | Bachelor's Degree | $73,398 | +$36,422 | clears the bar | $36,750 | 1.0 yrs | 146 |
| Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians | Master's Degree | $71,613 | +$34,637 | clears the bar | $84,794 | 2.4 yrs | 139 |
| Graphic Communications | Bachelor's Degree | $50,833 | +$13,857 | clears the bar | $31,125 | 2.2 yrs | 95 |
| Graphic Communications | Master's Degree | $64,026 | +$27,050 | clears the bar | $83,224 | 3.1 yrs | 91 |
| Design | Master's Degree | $57,636 | +$20,660 | clears the bar | $93,267 | 4.5 yrs | 78 |
| Design | Bachelor's Degree | $38,583 | +$1,607 | clears the bar | $31,500 | 19.6 yrs | 77 |
| Film and Photography | Bachelor's Degree | $46,726 | +$9,750 | clears the bar | $33,812 | 3.5 yrs | 72 |
| Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians | Bachelor's Degree | $66,783 | +$29,807 | clears the bar | $40,171 | 1.3 yrs | 71 |
| Fine Arts | Master's Degree | $46,730 | +$9,754 | clears the bar | $91,156 | 9.3 yrs | 58 |
| Film and Photography | Master's Degree | $58,879 | +$21,903 | clears the bar | $113,213 | 5.2 yrs | 54 |
| Apparel and Textiles | Bachelor's Degree | $41,565 | +$4,589 | clears the bar | $25,500 | 5.6 yrs | 45 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, General | Bachelor's Degree | $43,084 | +$6,108 | clears the bar | $31,000 | 5.1 yrs | 42 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, General | Master's Degree | $51,874 | +$14,898 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 41 |
| Theatre | Bachelor's Degree | $35,870 | -$1,106 | falls short | $30,666 | insufficient data | 27 |
| Theatre | Master's Degree | $36,635 1-year earnings | -$341 | falls short | $104,875 | insufficient data | 21 |
| 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 | 18 |
| Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations | Master's Degree | $62,856 | +$25,880 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 18 |
| Music | Bachelor's Degree | $33,151 | -$3,825 | falls short | $29,910 | insufficient data | 15 |
| Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations | Bachelor's Degree | $60,284 | +$23,308 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 14 |
| Design | Associate's Degree | $40,595 | +$3,619 | clears the bar | $31,937 | 8.8 yrs | 7 |
| Film and Photography | Associate's Degree | $42,221 | +$5,245 | clears the bar | $32,187 | 6.1 yrs | 7 |
| Apparel and Textiles | Associate's Degree | $29,584 | -$7,392 | falls short | $18,828 | insufficient data | 5 |
| Fine Arts | Bachelor's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | $39,570 | insufficient data | 32 |
| Apparel and Textiles | Master's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 18 |
| Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 17 |
| Radio, TV and Digital Media | Master's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 12 |
| Music | Master's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 12 |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians | Master's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 10 |
| Educational/Instructional Media Design | Master's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 8 |
| Graphic Communications | Associate's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 6 |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians | Bachelor's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 5 |
| Educational/Instructional Media Design | Bachelor's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 5 |
| Fine Arts | Associate's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 5 |
| Landscape Architecture | Master's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 4 |
| Journalism | Bachelor's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 4 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, General | Associate's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 4 |
| Communications and Media | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 3 |
| Computer Programming | Bachelor's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 3 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services | Bachelor's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 3 |
| Music | Associate's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 3 |
| Landscape Architecture | Bachelor's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 2 |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 2 |
| Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations | Associate's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 2 |
| Landscape Architecture | Associate's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 1 |
| Communications and Media | Bachelor's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 1 |
| Journalism | Associate's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 1 |
| Journalism | Master's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 1 |
| Teacher Education (by subject) | Master's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 1 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services | Associate's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 1 |
| Auto Repair Technology | Associate's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 1 |
| Theatre | Associate's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 1 |
| Architecture | Bachelor's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 0 |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | Master's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 0 |
| Graphic Communications | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 0 |
| Computer Software and Media Applications | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 0 |
| Teacher Education (by subject) | Graduate/Professional Certificate | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 0 |
| Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 0 |
| Design | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 0 |
| Film and Photography | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 0 |
| Fine Arts | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 0 |
| Teacher Education (by subject) | Bachelor's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data |
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release 2026-06-10. Earnings are medians measured four years after completion where available (programs shown with a 1-year figure are marked), compared with the state high-school-graduate benchmark ($36,976/yr). Debt is federal loans only. Suppressed values are shown as insufficient data, never imputed. Figures describe past graduates and are never a promise.