Newschool of Architecture and Design
San Diego, California · Private For-Profit · 100.0% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 38/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Newschool of Architecture and Design in San Diego is a small private for-profit specialty institution that posts a Below Benchmark ROI score of 38/100. The financial profile shows tuition is $30,291 but net price is $52,570 - nearly double tuition - putting four-year all-in cost at a steep $210,280. Average earnings six years after entry are $39,200, climbing to a median $68,891 at ten years (the architecture-licensure trajectory). The 10.3-year payback period and high debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.791 (79 cents of debt per dollar of early earnings) drag the score down. Repayment rate of 57.1% signals real distress: more than four in ten borrowers are not making progress on principal seven years out. Completion is decent at 61.9% for a for-profit specialty school. The earnings premium over high-school grads is 16.1%, modest. For students committed to architecture, the field requires either a 5-year B.Arch or a master's for licensure, and that lengthy path inflates debt while delaying earnings. Construction management graduates do well ($101,676 four-year earnings), but the cohort is tiny.
How Newschool of Architecture and Design 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 Score38/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
Newschool of Architecture and Design
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $30,291/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $30,291/yr |
| Average net price | $52,570/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $210,280 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $68,891 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $39,200 |
| Median debt at graduation | $31,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $329 |
| Estimated payback period | 10.3 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 61.9% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 182 |
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: $30,291/year, which covers tuition and fees only. The net price counts books, supplies, and average living costs on top of tuition and fees, then subtracts grants and scholarships. For the average student here it comes to $52,570/year, or roughly $210,280 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 $47,379/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay N/A/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $31,000, which works out to about $329 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($39,200) and comes to 0.79, 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 | $47,379 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | N/A |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $60,356 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | N/A |
| $110,001+ | N/A |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $47,379 per year net - extraordinarily high for the lowest income bracket. Aid does not scale meaningfully here. Four-year cost is $189,516. Against $39,200 six-year earnings, this is a difficult financial profile for low-income students.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $30,001-$48,000 bracket is not reported (likely small cohort). The $48,001-$75,000 bracket pays $60,356 - higher than the lowest bracket and approaching the published cost-of-attendance. The aid curve here is essentially flat or inverted, a flag worth raising. Higher middle-income brackets are also not reported.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Net price for families above $110,000 is not reported. The narrow disclosure pattern suggests a small applicant base across most income tiers and a school where most students are lower-income borrowers.
Earnings by Major
Top 3 most popular majors at Newschool of Architecture and Design with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Design and Applied Arts | $37,132 | F |
| Construction Management | $101,676 | - |
| Architecture | $74,587 | - |
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.
Architecture
Architecture is the flagship program with $74,587 in four-year median earnings (first-year data not reported, and the graduate count is also missing). These four-year numbers reflect post-licensure earnings, which require sitting for the ARE exam after the 5-year B.Arch or M.Arch. The path is long and the debt accrues during it. For students committed to becoming licensed architects in California, the program is real, but the financial math requires careful planning.
Construction Management
Construction management (4 grads) posts $101,676 four-year median earnings - the strongest number on campus. The cohort is too small to draw firm conclusions, but the San Diego construction labor market is strong and the program likely places well. With more graduate-count history, this could be the standout.
Design and Applied Arts
Design and applied arts (9 grads) earns $37,132 first-year with $39,251 median debt and a 1.057 debt-to-earnings ratio - an F ROI grade. Borrowing more than annual earnings for a design credential is structurally hard to recover from.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 49.0% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 57.1% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 49.5% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 57.3% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Newschool of Architecture and Design’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 | 100.0% |
| Enrollment | 182 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 52.1% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,140 |
SAT and ACT mid-ranges are not reported. Open admission is a meaningful signal: there is no academic filter on the front end, which means the burden of academic preparation and persistence sits entirely with the institution and its students. The 62% completion rate is reasonable given the open-access posture but reflects that nearly four in ten don't finish.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
Newschool's ROI score is 38.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newschool of Architecture and Design (this school) | 38 | $52,570 | $68,891 |
| Pratt Institute-Main | 41 | $52,659 | $54,295 |
| Otis College of Art and Design | 36 | $51,248 | $58,152 |
| College for Creative Studies | 30 | $34,617 | $44,860 |
| School of Visual Arts | 30 | $57,914 | $46,459 |
| Maryland Institute College of Art | 29 | $42,729 | $45,212 |
Who Thrives Here
Newschool enrolls just 182 students with a 52.1% Pell rate, a heavily lower-income student body. The fit is narrow: students committed to architecture or construction management who specifically want a small studio-based program in San Diego. For applicants weighing this against community-college pathways to architecture or transfer routes to a California public university, the financial case is hard to make.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Newschool of Architecture and Design scores 38/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $52,570 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $68,891 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 10.3 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 0.79 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 57.1% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%).
Median debt of $31,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $39,200 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.79. 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.
Newschool of Architecture and Design: Common Questions
Is Newschool of Architecture and Design worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Newschool of Architecture and Design scores 38/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $52,570 a year after aid against $68,891 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 10.3 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Newschool of Architecture and Design 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 $52,570 a year, or roughly $210,280 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 Newschool of Architecture and Design graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $68,891 ten years after enrolling, roughly $27,091 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 Newschool of Architecture and Design?
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 10.3 years for Newschool of Architecture and Design. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Newschool of Architecture and Design graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $31,000, against average earnings of $39,200 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.79. 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 Newschool of Architecture and Design?
The six-year graduation rate is 61.9%. 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.