U.S. median for this major: $53,514.
College Scorecard field of study; 34 graduates with earnings reported. A small group, so treat this figure with caution
Median for graduates who received federal aid.
College Scorecard field of study
About 29% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $26,502.
College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $82,404. College Scorecard.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design: pay against the field, and payback
Same major, other colleges
Median earnings 4 years after graduating; state and U.S. figures are the median of each covered college's graduates in this major. College Scorecard; calculated by EducationGuide.
Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design nationally: jobs, pay at ages 25-34, every state →
Cost to finish and years to pay back, by income
Uses Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's school-wide net price (no college reports it by major) and this major's graduate earnings.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $24,078 | $100,164 | 1.9 years |
| $30–48k | $26,289 | $109,362 | 2.1 years |
| $48–75k | $28,212 | $117,362 | 2.2 years |
| $75–110k | $36,230 | $150,717 | 2.9 years |
| $110k+ | $42,541 | $176,971 | 3.4 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (71% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design graduates 4 years after graduating ($87,358) minus $34,633 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NY (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $52,725 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard; IPEDS Graduation Rates; U.S. Census Bureau ACS. Calculated by EducationGuide.
Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design at New York colleges
Every New York college we cover that reports Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design graduate earnings, highest first. Net price is the school-wide average after grants. Colleges marked "mostly 2-year" or "bachelor's & associate" award more associate degrees than bachelor's; their bachelor's programs often serve working adults finishing a degree (for example, nurses completing a BSN), so their graduates' earnings can run higher than those of students starting college at 18.
| Rank | College | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt | Avg. net price | Graduation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | $87,358 | $25,000 | $36,228 | 84% |
| 2 | Syracuse University | $71,527 | $27,000 | $38,793 | 84% |
| 3 | Marist University | $66,010 | $26,929 | $41,544 | 80% |
| 4 | St. John's University-New York | $63,659 | $27,000 | $29,999 | 66% |
| 5 | Fashion Institute of Technologybachelor's & associate | $60,882 | $25,000 | $19,095 | 81% |
| 6 | Pratt Institute-Main | $59,792 | $26,000 | $52,659 | 74% |
| 7 | The New School | $56,838 | $26,000 | $58,741 | 69% |
| 8 | Mercy University | $54,725 | — | $14,072 | 46% |
| 9 | Farmingdale State College | $53,896 | $18,875 | $10,867 | 53% |
| 10 | CUNY New York City College of Technology | $52,562 | $12,000 | $5,127 | 21% |
| 11 | Rochester Institute of Technology | $52,043 | $27,000 | $34,906 | 70% |
| 12 | Russell Sage College | $51,485 | $27,000 | $22,917 | 56% |
| 13 | Marymount Manhattan College | $48,393 | — | $36,861 | 49% |
| 14 | Villa Maria College | $48,379 | — | $13,494 | 31% |
| 15 | State University of New York at Oswego | $44,939 | $26,530 | $16,236 | 60% |
| 16 | CUNY Queens College | $44,835 | $17,625 | $4,195 | 53% |
| 17 | SUNY at Fredonia | $43,087 | $26,500 | $15,897 | 50% |
| 18 | Nazareth University | $42,615 | $23,250 | $29,357 | 73% |
| 19 | New York Institute of Technology | $36,864 | $23,500 | $22,443 | 59% |
20 more New York colleges offer Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design but have too few graduates to report earnings.
Careers for Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design graduates
Graphic designer
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs -1.7% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
Web and Digital Interface Designers
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +6.0% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
Art Directors
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +4.2% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35. Careers from the federal major-to-occupation crosswalk.
What families pay at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, by income
School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.
College Scorecard
About Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Acceptance rate: 63% · admissions
- Graduation rate: 84% within 6 years
- Median earnings, all majors, 10 years after starting: $102,051
- Full cost breakdown · all 45 majors · overview
Related majors at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Visual and Performing Arts—
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design questions
How much do Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design graduates earn?
Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design graduates of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute earn a median $87,358 four years after graduating and $36,191 one year after. The U.S. median for Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design graduates across 277 colleges is $53,514.
How much debt do Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design graduates have?
The median federal loan debt for Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design graduates of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is $25,000, about 29% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $26,502.
Is Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute a good school for Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design in New York?
On pay, Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design graduates of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute earn $87,358 four years out, $34,796 above the median for the same major across 19 New York colleges ($52,562) and $33,844 above the U.S. median ($53,514). Medians of each college's graduates; EducationGuide calculation from College Scorecard.
Where does Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute rank for Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design in New York?
Of 19 New York colleges reporting Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design graduate earnings, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranks 1st, the highest.
What jobs do Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design graduates get?
A common career is graphic designer, with a median wage of $63,200 in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY area and $62,960 nationally. Others include web and digital interface designers and art directors.
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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (field of study: median earnings and federal loan debt of graduates who received federal aid); BLS. How we score
Data: JSON · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/rensselaer-polytechnic-institute/majors/graphic-interior-fashion-design (College Scorecard and BLS data).