Otis College of Art and Design
Los Angeles, California · Private Nonprofit · 81.8% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 36/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Otis College of Art and Design earns an ROI score of 36 out of 100, landing in the Below Benchmark tier. The financials are $56,488 in tuition, a $51,248 net price after only modest aid trimming, and a $204,992 four-year all-in cost. Graduates earn just $35,100 six years out, climbing to $58,152 at ten years (the late-career recovery is genuinely real and matters), with $27,000 median federal debt and a 0.77 debt-to-earnings ratio. The 14.9-year payback period reflects how slowly the financial picture improves. Otis's Los Angeles location near major entertainment, gaming, and design employers provides the placement infrastructure that drives the ten-year earnings recovery; students who land at studios, fashion houses, or design firms eventually do well, but the path is long and financially difficult. This is a passion-driven choice with a slow financial return.
How Otis College of Art 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 Score36/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
Otis College of Art and Design
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $56,488/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $56,488/yr |
| Average net price | $51,248/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $204,992 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $58,152 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $35,100 |
| Median debt at graduation | $27,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $286 |
| Estimated payback period | 14.9 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 66.3% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,223 |
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: $56,488/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $51,248/year, or roughly $204,992 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 $44,731/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $60,718/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 ($35,100) and comes to 0.77, 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 | $44,731 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $44,821 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $28,167 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $52,495 |
| $110,001+ | $60,718 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $44,731, and the $30,001-$48,000 band pays $44,821 (essentially identical). These are very high net prices for low-income families given Otis's modest aid budget. Over four years, low-income families face roughly $179,000 in cost against $58,152 ten-year earnings. The math is genuinely unworkable without substantial outside scholarships.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001-$75,000 band drops dramatically to $28,167, a major inversion in the grid that significantly favors lower-middle-class families. The $75,001-$110,000 band then jumps back to $52,495, the largest swing in the grid. This unusual aid pattern means lower-middle-class families see meaningfully better deals than either lower or upper-middle households. Flag this inversion when advising students.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $60,718, more than the full $56,488 sticker once fees and living costs are layered in. Over four years, high-income families absorb roughly $243,000 in net cost. For these families, Otis is a pure passion-and-prestige choice.
Earnings by Major
Top 3 most popular majors at Otis College of Art and Design with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Visual and Performing Arts | $47,220 | F |
| Design and Applied Arts | $55,891 | D |
| Fine and Studio Arts | $38,997 | 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.
Visual and Performing Arts
Visual and Performing Arts is Otis's largest program at 101 graduates. First-year earnings of $21,558 climb to $47,220 at four years, with $27,000 median debt producing a 1.25 debt-to-earnings ratio and an F ROI grade. The ratio above 1.0 means median debt exceeds annual early-career earnings. The four-year recovery is real, but the early-career compression raises the loan-to-earnings ratio for several years.
Design and Applied Arts
Design and Applied Arts (Otis's signature graphic, product, and digital design tracks) graduates 95 students with $31,172 first-year and $55,891 four-year earnings. Median debt of $27,000 produces a 0.87 debt-to-earnings ratio and a D grade. The LA studio economy absorbs graduates into entertainment, gaming, and consumer product design, where four-year wage growth is solid. This is Otis's strongest financial pathway.
Fine and Studio Arts
Fine and Studio Arts graduates 26 students with $11,590 first-year and $38,997 four-year earnings, the weakest absolute numbers on campus. Median debt of $30,875 produces a 2.66 debt-to-earnings ratio (debt exceeds annual earnings by more than 2x), an F grade. Students entering this track should treat the financial outcomes as virtually certain to require parental support or alternative income for years.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 70.1% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 75.4% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 70.2% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 73.4% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Otis College of Art 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 | 81.8% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 600-675 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 665-720 |
| Enrollment | 1,223 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 33.6% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $9,491 |
Otis admits 81.8% of applicants on paper, but admission is heavily driven by portfolio rather than test scores, so the rate understates competitiveness for serious applicants. SAT mid-ranges of 600-675 in math and 665-720 in reading are notably strong. ACT data is not reported, consistent with portfolio-focused admissions. The 66.3% completion rate is solid for the art school category, reflecting that admitted students arrive serious and finish.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otis College of Art and Design (this school) | 36 | $51,248 | $58,152 |
| Pratt Institute-Main | 41 | $52,659 | $54,295 |
| Newschool of Architecture and Design | 38 | $52,570 | $68,891 |
| 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
Otis enrolls 1,223 students with a 33.6% Pell rate, indicating a mix of socioeconomic backgrounds drawn by the LA location and design industry proximity. The fit profile is a student with serious portfolio strength, clear career interest in product design, fashion, animation, or graphic design, and either family resources to absorb high net price or willingness to take on substantial debt against the slow earnings curve. The 66.3% completion rate and substantial ten-year earnings recovery suggest students who finish and persist in design careers can eventually make the math work; for marginal applicants the financial path is harder.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Otis College of Art and Design scores 36/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $51,248 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $58,152 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 14.9 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 0.77 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $27,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $35,100 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.77. 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.
Otis College of Art and Design: Common Questions
Is Otis College of Art and Design worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Otis College of Art and Design scores 36/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $51,248 a year after aid against $58,152 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 14.9 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Otis College of Art 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 $51,248 a year, or roughly $204,992 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 Otis College of Art and Design graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $58,152 ten years after enrolling, roughly $16,352 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 Otis College of Art 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 14.9 years for Otis College of Art and Design. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Otis College of Art and Design graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $27,000, against average earnings of $35,100 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.77. 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 Otis College of Art and Design?
The six-year graduation rate is 66.3%, at or above the 64% national average for four-year schools (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.