Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · Also known as PAFA · Website
$29,881
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$29,881
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with 23 undergraduates and 16 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $42,454 a year (tuition and fees $44,600). 58% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $29,881 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $22,309 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$42,454
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$44,600
US median $11,837
Admission rate
-
Completion rate
58%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$22,309
About $237 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$29,881
Rank 4,113 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $42,454
- Tuition and fees
- $44,600
- Cost of attendance
- $66,106
- Students with a need-based grant
- 35%
- Students with federal loans
- 65%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $39,928
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $42,301
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $42,893
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $44,893
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $46,702
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $34,410 in 2015-16 to $44,600 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Undergraduates
- 23
- Graduate students
- 16
- Part-time students
- 13%
- Women
- 70%
- Students per teacher
- 2
- Completion rate
- 58%
- Retention rate
- 0%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 8
- Endowment
- $44.9M
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 4,113 of 5,094 US colleges and 235 of 270 in Pennsylvania (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | PA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $42,454 | $19,970 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $44,600 | $19,182 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 81% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 58% | 66% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 0% | 78% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $22,309 | $17,500 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $24,229 | $42,275 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $29,881 | $49,700 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 55% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 40% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
8 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fine and Studio ArtsMaster's | Master's | 26 | $74,886 | $24,994 | $41,621 | $49,079 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 22 | $25,625 | $10,780 | $31,131 | $41,367 |
| Design and Applied ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,490 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsCertificate | Certificate | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | $31,707 | $36,104 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Graphic CommunicationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 1 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Design and Applied ArtsCertificate | Certificate | - | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $36,116 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsPost-bachelor certificate | Post-bachelor certificate | - | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $26,285 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Pennsylvania
- Homes: Homes for sale in Pennsylvania
Questions and answers
How much does Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts cost?
$42,454 a year is the average net price at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $44,600, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $66,106. Families earning under $30,000 pay $39,928 on average.
How much do Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts graduates earn?
$29,881 a year is the median pay of former Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts students who work, 10 years after they started ($24,229 after 6 years). That ranks 4,113 of 5,094 US colleges and 235 of 270 in Pennsylvania. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Fine and Studio Arts (Master's) at $24,994.
How much student debt do Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts graduates have?
$22,309 is the median federal student loan debt of Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts graduates, about $237 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 65% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts?
58% of first-time, full-time students at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts finish within 6 years. 0% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts?
Fine and Studio Arts (26 master's graduates), Fine and Studio Arts (22 bachelor's graduates), Design and Applied Arts (6 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 8 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.