Best Fine Artist programs in New York, ranked by enrollment
Create original artwork using any of a wide variety of media and.
96 schools in New York run programs that feed this job, graduating 2,851 people a year. The job pays a median of $78,870 in New York across about 1,400 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in New York that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
11 programs in New York that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in New York (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own New York page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fine/Studio Arts, Generalmain feeder CIP 50.0702In New York → | 1,631 | 57.2% | 56 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 2 | Art/Art Studies, Generalmain feeder CIP 50.0701In New York → | 435 | 15.3% | 28 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 3 | CIP 50.0101In New York → | 320 | 11.2% | 19 | $24,752 | $25,963 |
| 4 | Paintingmain feeder CIP 50.0708In New York → | 163 | 5.7% | 8 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 5 | Fine Arts and Art Studies, Othermain feeder CIP 50.0799In New York → | 116 | 4.1% | 10 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 6 | Sculpturemain feeder CIP 50.0709In New York → | 52 | 1.8% | 6 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 7 | Intermedia/Multimediamain feeder CIP 50.0706In New York → | 44 | 1.5% | 4 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 8 | Drawingmain feeder CIP 50.0705In New York → | 34 | 1.2% | 3 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 9 | Printmakingmain feeder CIP 50.0710In New York → | 25 | 0.9% | 3 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 10 | Ceramic Arts and Ceramicsmain feeder CIP 50.0711In New York → | 17 | 0.6% | 5 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 11 | CIP 51.2703In New York → | 14 | 0.5% | 1 | $47,775 | $25,000 |
Top 25 schools in New York
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 37 of the 96 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pratt Institute - Main Brooklyn, NY Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 208 | Painting | $18,451 | 74% | $49,088 | 73% |
| 2 | Bard College Annandale-On-Hudson, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 155 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | $19,327 | 68% | $24,278 | 52% |
| 3 | CUNY Hunter College New York, NY Public · 2 feeder programs | 140 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | $22,788 | 57% | — | 54% |
| 4 | Fashion Institute of Technology New York, NY Public · 2 feeder programs | 117 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | $23,428 | 81% | — | 60% |
| 5 | CUNY City College New York, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 116 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | $24,742 | 57% | — | 60% |
| 6 | The New School New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 97 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | $20,967 | 69% | $54,185 | 63% |
| 7 | School of Visual Arts New York, NY Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 96 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | $21,344 | 76% | $58,518 | 93% |
| 8 | Alfred University Alfred, NY Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 90 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | $22,912 | 57% | $22,481 | 74% |
| 9 | SUNY at Purchase College Purchase, NY Public · 4 feeder programs | 79 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | $22,024 | 63% | — | 74% |
| 10 | State University of New York at New Paltz New Paltz, NY Public · 6 feeder programs | 77 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | $19,893 | 72% | — | 62% |
| 11 | CUNY Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY Public · 2 feeder programs | 70 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | $22,633 | 54% | — | 58% |
| 12 | University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY Public · 2 feeder programs | 65 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | $24,370 | 75% | — | 74% |
| 13 | The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 62 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | $16,678 | 81% | $14,337 | 21% |
| 14 | Binghamton University Vestal, NY Public · 2 feeder programs | 59 | Art/Art Studies, General | $25,751 | 82% | — | 39% |
| 15 | New York Academy of Art New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 56 | Painting | — | — | — | — |
| 16 | State University of New York at Oswego Oswego, NY Public · 3 feeder programs | 52 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 60% | — | 81% |
| 17 | CUNY Lehman College Bronx, NY Public · 2 feeder programs | 51 | Art/Art Studies, General | $27,582 | 51% | — | 57% |
| 18 | CUNY LaGuardia Community College Long Island City, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 49 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | $14,920 | 24% | — | — |
| 19 | Marist University Poughkeepsie, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 49 | Intermedia/Multimedia | $31,907 | 80% | $33,867 | 57% |
| 20 | New York University New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 49 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | $25,053 | 88% | $29,023 | 9% |
| 21 | Suffolk County Community College Selden, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 48 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | $23,694 | 29% | — | — |
| 22 | Empire State University Saratoga Springs, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 47 | Art/Art Studies, General | $39,946 | 41% | — | — |
| 23 | American Musical and Dramatic Academy New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 43 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 72% | $40,932 | 24% |
| 24 | University at Albany Albany, NY Public · 2 feeder programs | 39 | Art/Art Studies, General | $20,116 | 61% | — | 69% |
| 25 | Cornell University Ithaca, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 38 | Fine/Studio Arts, General | $31,073 | 95% | $17,613 | 9% |
All 96 schools in New York
Every school in New York with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pratt Institute - Main | Brooklyn | Private not-for-profit | 208 | 5 |
| Bard College | Annandale-On-Hudson | Private not-for-profit | 155 | 1 |
| CUNY Hunter College | New York | Public | 140 | 2 |
| Fashion Institute of Technology | New York | Public | 117 | 2 |
| CUNY City College | New York | Public | 116 | 1 |
| The New School | New York | Private not-for-profit | 97 | 1 |
| School of Visual Arts | New York | Private for-profit | 96 | 1 |
| Alfred University | Alfred | Private not-for-profit | 90 | 5 |
| SUNY at Purchase College | Purchase | Public | 79 | 4 |
| State University of New York at New Paltz | New Paltz | Public | 77 | 6 |
| CUNY Brooklyn College | Brooklyn | Public | 70 | 2 |
| University at Buffalo | Buffalo | Public | 65 | 2 |
| The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art | New York | Private not-for-profit | 62 | 1 |
| Binghamton University | Vestal | Public | 59 | 2 |
| New York Academy of Art | New York | Private not-for-profit | 56 | 4 |
What fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators earn in New York
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $55,490. New York pays above the national figure.
Concentrated here: New York employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in New York
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators page.
How to become a Fine Artist
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in New York
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 12 majors mapped to Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators12 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 50.0101Visual and Performing Arts, General
- 50.0701Art/Art Studies, General
- 50.0702Fine/Studio Arts, General
- 50.0705Drawing
- 50.0706Intermedia/Multimedia
- 50.0708Painting
- 50.0709Sculpture
- 50.0710Printmaking
- 50.0711Ceramic Arts and Ceramics
- 50.0799Fine Arts and Art Studies, Other
- 50.1101Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art
- 51.2703Medical Illustration/Medical Illustrator
Common questions
Answers for people weighing fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators programs in New York.
What degree do you need to become a Fine Artist?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Fine/Studio Arts, General, which awarded 1,631 degrees in New York in 2024-25, 57.2% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Fine Artist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 11 programs to this occupation. The largest are Fine and Studio Arts, Visual and Performing Arts, Medical Illustration and Informatics. Together they graduate about 2,851 people a year in New York.
How much do fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators earn in New York?+
The median is $78,870 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 42.1% above the U.S. median of $55,490. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators growing?+
BLS projects a -1.2% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 2,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in New York?+
96 institutions in New York reported graduates from at least one of the 11 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Artist, Painter, Sculptor, Fine Artist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 27-1013.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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