Every five years, the College of Fine Arts participates in the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP), which gives us valuable insight into the educational experiences and professional outcomes of our alumni and allows us to benchmark against our peers, both public and private. 

Since 2008, SNAAP has collected and analyzed data from over 200,000 arts graduates from across North America. More than 300 colleges and universities have participated in the study, and SNAAP data have been used for assessment, curriculum reform, recruitment, benchmarking, alumni engagement, advocacy and more.

The survey asks arts alumni questions about their experience in their program at UT, the skills they gained, what they’re doing now, how much student debt they accrued, how long it took them to find their first job, how satisfied they are in their current job or profession, their salaries, whether they continue to maintain an artistic practice and much more.

Below, we share some highlights from College of Fine Arts alumni who participated in the most recent 2022 SNAAP survey. We plan to survey our alumni again in 2027.

Educational Experience

Infograph illustrating that 89% of College of Fine Arts alumni rated their overall experience at UT Austin as Excellent or Good.

Jobs & Post-Graduate Life

Infograph illustrating that 55% of COFA graduates were employed within 4 months of graduation and 72% of COFA graduates were employed within 1 year of graduation
Infograph illustrating that only 2% of COFA graduates reported they were unemployed and looking for work
Series of infographs illustrating 44% of COFA undergrads later completed a graduate degree, 59% of COFA graduates currently work in an arts or design occupation, 39% of COFA graduates are currently teaching and 29% are currently creating visual arts work

Student Debt

Infographic showing that among COFA Grads, 49% graduated with no debt; 68% graduated with <$20K in debt. Among national SNAAP peers, 38% graduated with no debt; 54% graduated with less than $20K in debt

Skills Acquired

Infographic showing 94% of respondents said their UT education improved their critical thinking skills; 88% said UT helped develop their creative thinking/problem-solving skills; 89% said that their UT education improved their communication skills