Montserrat College of Art
Beverly, Massachusetts · Private Nonprofit
ROI Score: 13/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Montserrat College of Art scores 13 (Below Benchmark). The fundamentals are stark: a NEGATIVE earnings premium (-1.5%) - graduates earn slightly less than the high school baseline used in federal models - a 999-year payback period (cost is never recouped), a 1.080 debt-to-earnings ratio (debt EXCEEDS annual earnings), and a 59.3% three-year repayment rate. Sticker tuition is $40,690 with a net price of $33,216 - high - and median student debt is $27,000. Average earnings 6 years out are just $25,000, climbing to a median $33,022 at 10 years. Total 4-year cost is $132,864. Montserrat is a tiny (226 students) art school in Beverly, Massachusetts, with 35.0% Pell. The 53.5% completion rate is the strongest sub-score. The pattern is the structural reality of small studio art programs: tuition tracks closer to selective private liberal arts colleges, but the labor market for fine and studio arts produces low earnings regardless of training quality. The honest read: this is a passion-driven institution - students should weigh Montserrat's artistic mission against its financial return.
How Montserrat College 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 Score13/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Debt-to-earnings1.08 - Median debt is larger than one year of average earnings six years after entry (a ratio above 1.0).
- Payback period>50 years - In our estimate, the earnings premium over a high school completer is small next to the cost, so the cost may not be recouped within a working career.
Montserrat College of Art
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $40,690/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $40,690/yr |
| Average net price | $33,216/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $132,864 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $33,022 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $25,000 |
| Median debt at graduation | $27,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $286 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 53.5% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 226 |
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: $40,690/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $33,216/year, or roughly $132,864 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 $25,388/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $39,001/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 ($25,000) and comes to 1.08, 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least 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 | $25,388 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $29,977 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $32,347 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $37,366 |
| $110,001+ | $39,001 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $25,388 net annually - the lowest tier but still substantial. The brackets escalate cleanly upward (no inversions). Over four years that's $102K against $33,022 median 10-year earnings. Strong outside scholarships are essentially required.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income families ($48,001-$75,000) pay $32,347 - close to the school's average net price. Over four years that's $129K against earnings outcomes that don't clear the high school baseline. This is the bracket where the math is most clearly broken; mission alignment must be decisive for this commitment.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Top-bracket families ($110,001+) pay $39,001 - approaching sticker.
Earnings by Major
Top 3 most popular majors at Montserrat College of Art with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Design and Applied Arts | $33,496 | F |
| Fine and Studio Arts | $37,179 | F |
| Graphic Communications | $34,006 | - |
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 (29 graduates - the largest program) shows the structural ROI failure: $19,865 first-year earnings against $27,000 median debt yields a 1.359 ratio (F grade). Four-year earnings of $33,496 don't redeem the picture. Graphic design and applied arts can support viable freelance/agency careers, but the borrowing level here means years of post-graduation income squeeze before financial stability.
Fine and Studio Arts
Fine and Studio Arts (15 graduates) posts $21,543 first-year earnings against $27,000 median debt - a 1.253 ratio (F grade). Four-year earnings of $37,179. Fine arts is structurally a low-earnings field at the bachelor's level; most successful practitioners build careers across teaching, gallery work, and commission income over years. The financial case requires graduate study or accepting modest earnings for the long term.
Graphic Communications
Graphic Communications (12 graduates) shows somewhat stronger 4-year earnings ($34,006) but missing first-year and debt data limit the read. Graphic communications has clearer commercial paths (publishing, web, agencies) than fine arts, and is likely the strongest financial bet among Montserrat's offerings. Students focused on commercial design rather than fine-arts practice should weight this track.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 57.9% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 59.3% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 62.1% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 65.1% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Montserrat College 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
| Enrollment | 226 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 35.0% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,551 |
Admission rate is not reported in current Scorecard data, and SAT/ACT scores are also unavailable. Selectivity in this context is mediated through portfolio quality rather than test scores or admit rates. Prospective students should weigh the strength of their artistic preparation more than admit-rate signals, and should ask the institution directly about completion support and post-graduation outcomes given the structurally weak ROI numbers.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montserrat College of Art (this school) | 13 | $33,216 | $33,022 |
| Maine College of Art & Design | 17 | $38,338 | $40,778 |
| Northwest College of Art & Design | 17 | $16,418 | $31,167 |
| California College of ASU | 14 | $17,683 | $42,014 |
| Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts | 14 | $42,454 | $29,881 |
| Art Academy of Cincinnati | 9 | $34,253 | $34,368 |
Who Thrives Here
Montserrat's 226 enrollment and 35.0% Pell rate define a tiny, highly self-selected art-school student body. Best fit: students with strong studio practice, clear post-graduation career plans (commercial design, illustration, graphic communications) or graduate school intent, and the financial means or family support to absorb modest early-career earnings. Mismatch: students taking on heavy federal loans without a clear commercial application path face the structural ROI problem head-on.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Montserrat College of Art scores 13/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $33,216 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $33,022 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 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 1.08 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 59.3% (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 $25,000 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.08. That is 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least a full year of those earnings, so your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Montserrat College of Art: Common Questions
Is Montserrat College of Art worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Montserrat College of Art scores 13/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $33,216 a year after aid against $33,022 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Montserrat College 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 $33,216 a year, or roughly $132,864 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 Montserrat College of Art graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $33,022 ten years after enrolling, at or below the $41,800 median for high-school graduates (NCES, 2022). With little earnings gap to cover the cost, the financial return is hard to make.
How long does it take to pay off Montserrat College 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 more than 50 years for Montserrat College of Art. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Montserrat College of Art graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $27,000, against average earnings of $25,000 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.08. That is 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least a full year of those earnings, so how much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Montserrat College of Art?
The six-year graduation rate is 53.5%. 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.