Cleveland Institute of Art
Cleveland, Ohio · Private Nonprofit · 61.4% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 23/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Cleveland Institute of Art scores 23 out of 100 in the Below Benchmark tier. Sticker tuition is $49,400 with a $29,208 net price after aid, totaling $116,832 over four years. Earnings sit at $32,900 six years out and only inch up to $42,509 by year ten - a flat trajectory typical of fine-arts careers. The 34.2-year payback period is the headline figure: at current earnings, the typical graduate would need over three decades to earn back what they paid. Debt-to-earnings comes in at 0.821 against $27,000 of median debt - borrowers owe more than 80% of their first-year income. Completion is 57.7%, and repayment (71.4% three-year rate) is decent. The figures to weigh are the $117K price tag against $33K average earnings at year six. CIA is highly regarded within the art world for industrial design, illustration, and animation, and ambitious graduates can find their way into well-paying creative roles - but those are upside outcomes, not the median.
How Cleveland Institute of Art scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score23/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period34.2 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Cleveland Institute of Art
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $49,400/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $49,400/yr |
| Average net price | $29,208/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $116,832 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $42,509 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $32,900 |
| Median debt at graduation | $27,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $286 |
| Estimated payback period | 34.2 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 57.7% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 539 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $49,400/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $29,208/year, or roughly $116,832 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $23,423/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $37,436/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $27,000, which works out to about $286 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($32,900) and comes to 0.82, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $23,423 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $24,992 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $26,654 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $30,518 |
| $110,001+ | $37,436 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $23,423 net per year - a $93,000 four-year total. With Pell, Ohio College Opportunity Grant, and CIA institutional aid, the package is real, but the remaining cost still likely requires substantial borrowing. With average graduate earnings of $32,900 six years out, a low-income student could end up servicing significant debt on a salary that barely covers urban living costs. The math is genuinely hard here.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The income brackets behave normally: $30,001-$48,000 pays $24,992, $48,001-$75,000 pays $26,654, and $75,001-$110,000 jumps to $30,518. Middle-income families face the squeeze hardest - enough income to lose Pell eligibility, not enough to absorb $25-30K/year easily.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families earning $110,001+ pay $37,436 - close to full freight, $150,000 over four years. CIA's strongest value is at the lower-income brackets where the discount is steeper.
Earnings by Major
Top 3 most popular majors at Cleveland Institute of Art with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Design and Applied Arts | $47,147 | F |
| Fine and Studio Arts | $33,253 | F |
| Graphic Communications | $19,409 | F |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Design and Applied Arts
Design (which includes industrial and product design at CIA) is the largest and best-performing program: 55 graduates, $23,358 first-year and $47,147 four-year earnings, $27,000 debt, 1.156 debt-to-earnings ratio, F grade. The four-year earnings ramp doubles first-year earnings, which signals real career progression into design roles at consumer-product companies, automotive (CIA has a noted automotive design pipeline), and consumer-tech firms. The F grade reflects that even this best-case CIA outcome is poor relative to the cost.
Fine and Studio Arts
Fine Arts graduates 34 students per year with $18,839 first-year and $33,253 four-year earnings against $27,000 debt - a 1.433 debt-to-earnings ratio and F grade. Bachelor's-only fine artists almost universally struggle to earn living wages from their art alone, and the Cleveland gallery economy is small. Students entering this program need to be honest with themselves about whether the credential is worth $117K.
Graphic Communications
Graphic Communications (19 graduates) shows $19,409 first-year earnings against $27,000 debt - a 1.391 ratio and F grade. Four-year earnings data is missing. CIA students who pivot toward digital, UX, or motion design can earn materially more, but as currently measured by Scorecard the program ROI is unsupportable.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 64.5% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 71.4% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 71.4% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 80.9% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Cleveland Institute of Art’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 61.4% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 480-620 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 500-660 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 23-29 |
| Enrollment | 539 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 42.2% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $7,134 |
CIA admits 61.4% of applicants. SAT mid-50% bands run Math 480-620 and Reading 500-660, with ACT 23-29 - typical for a portfolio-driven arts admissions process where standardized tests are de-emphasized. Portfolio review is the real selector here, not test scores. The 57.7% completion rate suggests the admissions process screens reasonably well, but arts students often face financial or motivational stop-outs that pure academic ability doesn't predict.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Institute of Art (this school) | 23 | $29,208 | $42,509 |
| California College of the Arts | 27 | $53,909 | $49,414 |
| Ringling College of Art and Design | 27 | $57,742 | $43,325 |
| Savannah College of Art and Design | 26 | $49,430 | $45,954 |
| Laguna College of Art and Design | 22 | $42,505 | $47,867 |
| Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design | 22 | $26,541 | $41,174 |
Who Thrives Here
CIA fits the dedicated young artist who has a portfolio, knows they want a career in industrial design, animation, illustration, or fine arts, and either has family resources to cover the cost without significant borrowing OR is willing to take on substantial debt for a creative career. Enrollment of 539 and a 42.2% Pell rate indicate a small, working-class-leaning student body.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Cleveland Institute of Art scores 23/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $29,208 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $42,509 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 34.2 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.82 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 71.4% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $27,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $32,900 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.82. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Cleveland Institute of Art: Common Questions
Is Cleveland Institute of Art worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Cleveland Institute of Art scores 23/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $29,208 a year after aid against $42,509 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 34.2 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Cleveland Institute of Art cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $29,208 a year, or roughly $116,832 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Cleveland Institute of Art graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $42,509 ten years after enrolling, roughly $709 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off Cleveland Institute of Art?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 34.2 years for Cleveland Institute of Art. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Cleveland Institute of Art graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $27,000, against average earnings of $32,900 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.82. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Cleveland Institute of Art?
The six-year graduation rate is 57.7%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.