SUNY at Purchase College Visual and Performing Arts: earnings, debt & careers

Visual and Performing Arts graduates of SUNY at Purchase College earn a median $39,791 four years after graduating ($22,024 after one year), with median federal loan debt of $27,000. That is $1,365 below the U.S. median for Visual and Performing Arts graduates ($41,156 across 62 colleges), and ranks 4th of 6 New York colleges.

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Earnings, 4 years after graduating
$39,791

U.S. median for this major: $41,156.

College Scorecard field of study; 17 graduates with earnings reported. A small group, so treat this figure with caution

Earnings, 1 year after
$22,024

Median for graduates who received federal aid.

College Scorecard field of study

Median debt at graduation
$27,000

About 68% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $25,773.

College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)

What your family pays
$18,913 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $29,043. College Scorecard.

SUNY at Purchase College Visual and Performing Arts: pay against the field, and payback

Same major, other colleges

SUNY at Purchase College graduates$39,791
New York median (7 colleges)$41,097 (−$1,306)
U.S. median (62 colleges)$41,156 (−$1,365)

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.

Visual and Performing Arts nationally: jobs, pay at ages 25-34, every state →

Cost to finish and years to pay back, by income

Uses SUNY at Purchase College's school-wide net price (no college reports it by major) and this major's graduate earnings.

Family incomeNet price / yrCost to finishYears to pay back
$0–30k$11,835$49,4709.6 years
$30–48k$15,230$63,66112.3 years
$48–75k$19,658$82,17015.9 years
$75–110k$20,886$87,30316.9 years
$110k+$25,428$106,289more than 20 years

Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (51% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of Visual and Performing Arts graduates 4 years after graduating ($39,791) minus $34,633 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NY (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $5,158 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.

Visual and Performing Arts at New York colleges

Every New York college we cover that reports Visual and Performing Arts graduate earnings, highest first. Net price is the school-wide average after grants.

RankCollegeEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debtAvg. net priceGraduation
1Fordham University$65,848$27,000$44,33882%
2SUNY Oneonta$47,321$24,250$19,15869%
3State University of New York at New Paltz$41,097$21,324$18,80972%
4SUNY at Purchase College$39,791$27,000$18,91363%
5New York Institute of Technology$34,055—$22,44359%
6SUNY College at Potsdam$33,743$27,000$13,62445%

21 more New York colleges offer Visual and Performing Arts but have too few graduates to report earnings.

Careers for Visual and Performing Arts graduates

Graphic Designers

New York area$79,280
New York$77,340
U.S.$62,960

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs -1.7% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

Art Directors

New York area$142,990
New York$137,320
U.S.$114,850

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 SUNY at Purchase College, by income

School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.

College Scorecard

About SUNY at Purchase College

Related majors at SUNY at Purchase College

SUNY at Purchase College Visual and Performing Arts questions

How much do SUNY at Purchase College Visual and Performing Arts graduates earn?

Visual and Performing Arts graduates of SUNY at Purchase College earn a median $39,791 four years after graduating and $22,024 one year after. The U.S. median for Visual and Performing Arts graduates across 62 colleges is $41,156.

How much debt do SUNY at Purchase College Visual and Performing Arts graduates have?

The median federal loan debt for Visual and Performing Arts graduates of SUNY at Purchase College is $27,000, about 68% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $25,773.

Is SUNY at Purchase College a good school for Visual and Performing Arts in New York?

On pay, Visual and Performing Arts graduates of SUNY at Purchase College earn $39,791 four years out, $1,306 below the median for the same major across 7 New York colleges ($41,097) and $1,365 below the U.S. median ($41,156). Medians of each college's graduates; EducationGuide calculation from College Scorecard.

Where does SUNY at Purchase College rank for Visual and Performing Arts in New York?

Of 6 New York colleges reporting Visual and Performing Arts graduate earnings, SUNY at Purchase College ranks 4th. The highest is Fordham University at $65,848.

What jobs do Visual and Performing Arts graduates get?

A common career is graphic designers, with a median wage of $79,280 in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ area and $62,960 nationally. Others include 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
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Cite this: “SUNY at Purchase College Visual and Performing Arts: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/suny-at-purchase-college/majors/visual-and-performing-arts (College Scorecard and BLS data).