Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design
Milwaukee, Wisconsin · Private Nonprofit · 60.5% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 22/100 · Poor Value
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) scores 22/100 (Poor Value, red tier), a classic specialty-arts-school profile: respectable completion rate undercut by weak post-grad earnings. The 67% completion rate (72/100) is genuinely strong for a small specialty school, but the 0.957 debt-to-earnings ratio (6/100) and 39.9-year payback period (14/100) tell the story: graduates carry $27,000 in median debt against $28,200 in 6-year earnings and $41,174 by year 10. Tuition is $43,743 with a $26,541 net price and four-year total cost of $106,164. The earnings premium is just 0.058 over high-school baseline. Three-year repayment rate of 67% (32/100) shows borrowers manage payments but slowly reduce principal. MIAD serves 837 students with a 37.3% Pell rate from its Milwaukee design-focused campus. The two reported major cohorts - Design and Applied Arts (129 grads, D grade) and Fine and Studio Arts (52 grads, F grade) - capture the structural reality: art-school graduates struggle to monetize their degrees at the cost level MIAD charges. Strong portfolio outcomes and creative careers are real but rare; the median student faces a tough financial path.
The data raises concerns about Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design
These metrics fall below the thresholds most financial advisors recommend for a sound college investment. Review them carefully before committing.
- ROI Score22/100 - Poor Value tier (below 45). Most 4-year schools we track score 60 or higher.
- Payback period39.9 years - Most 4-year schools we track have payback periods of 4-10 years.
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $43,743/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $43,743/yr |
| Average net price | $26,541/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $106,164 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $41,174 |
| Median earnings (6yr post-entry) | $28,200 |
| Median debt at graduation | $27,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $286 |
| Estimated payback period | 39.9 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 67.0% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 837 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The sticker price at Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design is $43,743/year. But sticker price isn't what most students pay. After grants, scholarships, and financial aid, the average student pays a net price of $26,541/year, or roughly $106,164 over four years.
That net price varies significantly by family income. The lowest-income families (under $30,000/year) pay an average of $21,419/year, while families earning over $110,000 pay $32,540/year.
The median graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loan debt, translating to an estimated monthly payment of $286 on a standard 10-year repayment plan. Against median earnings of $41,174 ten years out, the debt-to-earnings ratio is 0.96 - within the recommended range but worth monitoring.
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 | $21,419 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $22,531 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $22,440 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $26,746 |
| $110,001+ | $32,540 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $21,419 net, or $85,676 over four years. Pell layering reduces cash debt, but the 0.957 debt-to-earnings ratio and 39.9-year payback period make the math very tough even at the lowest bracket. Low-income students drawn to design should consider UW-Milwaukee at one-third the cost.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Households earning $30,001-$48,000 pay $22,531 and $48,001-$75,000 pay $22,440 (a mild inversion), then $75,001-$110,000 jumps to $26,746. Middle-income families face four-year cost of $89,760 to $107,000 against $41,174 schoolwide 10-year earnings. The math fails outside top-portfolio students with strong commercial-design placement.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $32,540 net, or $130,160 over four years. Full-pay families should treat MIAD as a fit/talent decision; the cost-to-outcome math fails at this tier outside niche premium portfolio paths. UW-Madison art and design programs deliver comparable career outcomes at substantially lower cost.
Earnings by Major
Top 3 most popular majors at Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Design and Applied Arts | $43,944 | D |
| Fine and Studio Arts | $40,952 | F |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences | $50,109 | - |
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 and Applied Arts is MIAD's largest program with 129 graduates, $28,801 first-year and $43,944 four-year earnings against $27,000 debt for a 0.937 debt-to-earnings ratio and D grade. The major includes industrial design, graphic design, and illustration tracks - commercial-design careers absorb graduates better than fine arts, but earnings still trail tech and engineering majors substantially. This is MIAD's most defensible major economically, and even then the math is tight.
Fine and Studio Arts
Fine and Studio Arts produces 52 graduates with $20,762 first-year and $40,952 four-year earnings against $27,000 debt for a 1.3 debt-to-earnings ratio and F grade. Fine art is among the worst-paying college majors nationally, and starting that path $27,000 in debt is structurally tough. The major fits students committed to MFA-track fine-art careers willing to accept low earnings; for anyone else, it's a financial trap.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Nat'l Avg |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 62.0% | 52.0% |
| 3-year repayment | 67.0% | 62.0% |
| 5-year repayment | 66.1% | 68.0% |
| 7-year repayment | 71.3% | 72.0% |
Completion Rate
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 60.5% |
| Enrollment | 837 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 37.3% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,527 |
MIAD admits 60.5% of applicants but reports no SAT or ACT mid-ranges in current Scorecard data, which is typical of arts schools that admit primarily on portfolio review. The 60.5% admit rate combined with the 67% completion rate suggests prepared, motivated students with clear creative direction complete at substantially higher rates. Portfolio quality, not test scores, is the meaningful academic screen.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
MIAD's peer cohort is a mix of WI small private nonprofits (Alverno, Bellin) and assorted faith-based or specialty schools that don't directly compare. The closest art-school peers (not listed) would be RISD, MICA, SCAD, or KCAI, all of which produce similar weak terminal-degree economics with somewhat better outcomes for top portfolio students. Among MIAD's listed peers, Bellin College (nursing-focused) produces meaningfully better ROI; Alverno is closer in scale and similar in Poor Value scoring. Young Harris and Drury are unrelated comparisons.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (this school) | 22 | $26,541 | $41,174 |
| Savannah College of Art and Design | 26 | $49,430 | $45,954 |
| Cleveland Institute of Art | 23 | $29,208 | $42,509 |
| Laguna College of Art and Design | 22 | $42,505 | $47,867 |
| Minneapolis College of Art and Design | 19 | $29,926 | $40,873 |
| Columbus College of Art & Design | 19 | $29,439 | $40,664 |
Who Thrives Here
MIAD fits portfolio-strong design students committed to a career in industrial design, illustration, animation, or applied arts, willing to absorb $26,541 in net annual price, and aware that median post-grad earnings are modest. With 837 students and 37.3% Pell, the campus is intimate and design-focused. Students considering Fine and Studio Arts should run the F-grade math seriously: the school's strongest career outcomes are in commercial design tracks, not fine art. WI residents not committed to art school should compare against UW-Madison or UW-Milwaukee design programs at half the cost.
The Verdict: The Numbers Don't Add Up
The financial data raises serious concerns about Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. With a net cost of $26,541 per year and median graduate earnings of only $41,174 ten years out, the estimated payback period exceeds 39.9 years. For most students, the financial return does not justify the cost.
Areas of concern include weak earnings relative to cost and high debt relative to what graduates earn and concerning loan repayment rates and a long payback period.
Median debt of $27,000 against $41,174 in earnings is reasonable, though major choice matters significantly. Students in higher-earning programs will see better returns.
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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.