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Private for-profit · 4-year

Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design

Lakewood, Colorado

18
F
DR Rating
DegreeReturn Rating — Poor value

A 0–100 composite of ROI, graduate earnings, net price, debt and graduation rate. How it’s scored.

Poor return
$-89,039 over 10 years

Estimated for a typical student paying the average net price over 4 years.

On these figures the cost and debt outweigh the earnings premium.

27.2 yrs
Break-even
-63%
10-year ROI
$50,171
Median earnings as of 2024
58% of Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design students earn more than a typical U.S. high-school graduate (about $28,000/yr) ten years after starting — measured from IRS tax records, not surveys.

The numbers behind the verdict

$32,363
Average net price / yr as of 2024
$50,171
Median earnings (5 yr) as of 2024
$33,549
Median earnings (1 yr) as of 2024
$31,000
Median debt at graduation as of 2024
32%
Graduation rate as of 2024
58%
Earn more than a HS grad as of 2024
64%
Repaying their loans (3 yr) as of 2024
54%
Retention rate as of 2024

Lifetime ROI: the long view

Cumulative net gain over a high-school-only earner at different career lengths, with tuition and debt interest already subtracted. Built on IRS-verified federal earnings — not self-reported surveys.

$-89,039
After 10 years
$-37,329
After 20 years
$14,381
After 30 years
$66,091
After 40 years

Conservative: holds year-5 earnings flat (no raises). Adjust the assumptions, or see the highest 20-year ROI colleges.

Equity & access

Who the college serves and whether the payoff reaches everyone — earnings ten years after starting (IRS-linked), with access measures from federal enrollment data.

By gender
Women
$40,498
Men
$45,658

11% gap between the two groups

By family-income background
From lower-income families
$33,103
From higher-income families
$45,374

27% gap between the two groups

By student status (FAFSA)
Dependent students
$42,697
Independent students
$42,906

Essentially no gap — the payoff is even

34%
First-generation students
60%
Take federal student loans
91%
Born in the U.S.
Who studies here
White 54%Hispanic 16%Asian 3%Black 14%Other 13%

Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity. Federal data does not report earnings by race.

Net price by family income

What students actually pay after grants and scholarships, by household income as of 2024.

Family incomeAverage net price / yr
Family income $0–$30k$29,847
$30k–$48k$29,351
$48k–$75k$32,387
$75k–$110k$36,040
$110k+$36,201

How Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design compares

This college against the Colorado and national averages — higher earnings and lower cost/debt are better.

Graduate earnings over time

Median earnings of Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design students 10 years after entering, by cohort year as of 2024.

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Best-paying majors at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design

Fields of study ranked by their own ROI — earnings five years after graduating against the cost and debt. Click a major for the deep dive.

MajorCredentialEarnings (5 yr)Median debt10-yr ROIVerdict
Computer Software and Media ApplicationsAssociate's$54,598$31,000+26%Break-even
Design and Applied ArtsAssociate's$45,743$31,750-90%Poor return

Calculate your own ROI

Adjust the assumptions for your situation — the verdict, break-even and chart update live.

ROI at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design

Or pick your to set cost

Estimates from federal data; your result will vary. How this works.

10-yr net gain
Break-even
10-yr ROI

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Admissions & profile

Admission rate
0
Average SAT
0
Median ACT
2,050
Undergraduates

Location

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.

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