[Metal & Jewelry Arts](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/fine-and-studio-arts/metal-and-jewelry-arts/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find the best return on investment for metal & jewelry arts students.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in metal & jewelry arts, balancing cost against outcomes.
Central New Mexico Community College tops our 2027 list of the best value metal & jewelry arts schools in the Southwest Region. Set in the city of Albuquerque, Central New Mexico Community College is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $2,060 in tuition and fees, compared with $8,684 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for metal & jewelry arts graduates is $10,112. Early-career metal & jewelry arts graduates make about $34,751. Set against $10,112 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Students looking for strong value in metal & jewelry arts will find it at Austin Community College District, which ranked #2. Austin Community College District is a very large public school located in the city of Austin. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $2,550, compared with $10,590 for out-of-state students. Metal & Jewelry Arts graduates carry a median of $16,500 in student loans. Early-career metal & jewelry arts graduates make about $44,895. That is a strong return on a $16,500 median debt.
A rank of #3 makes Santa Fe Community College one of the best values for metal & jewelry arts. Santa Fe Community College is a mid-sized public school located in the rural area of Santa Fe. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $1,851, compared with $4,131 for out-of-state students. Metal & Jewelry Arts graduates carry a median of $15,267 in student loans. Metal & Jewelry Arts graduates of Santa Fe Community College earn a median of $51,935 early in their careers. Set against $15,267 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
