Art Education Program Cost Calculator

Per-student cost from instructor, materials, and space.

Number of students

Sessions per term

Session length (hours)

Instructor hourly rate ($)

Number of instructors

Materials per student ($)

Facility cost per session ($)

Scholarship students

Admin overhead

Tab to move between fields

Total program cost

$3,420.00

≈ 3 smartphones

Cost per student$171.00

Tuition per paying student$201.18

Tuition per session$16.76

Cost per student-hour$7.13

Total teaching cost$1,050.00

Total materials cost$900.00

Student-to-instructor ratio20

Cost Per Session$285.00

How to Use This Calculator

Enter Number of students, Sessions per term, and Session length (hours).
Set Instructor hourly rate ($), Number of instructors, and Materials per student ($).
Adjust Facility cost per session ($), Scholarship students as needed.
Review the Total program cost ($) result.
Use Cost per student ($) and Tuition per paying student ($) to inform your decision.

How the result changes with Sessions per term

Number of students: Total enrolled students in the program or class.
Sessions per term: Number of class sessions in the program term.
Session length (hours): Duration of each class session in hours.
Instructor hourly rate ($): Hourly pay rate for teaching artists/instructors.
Number of instructors: Instructors and teaching assistants for the program.
Materials per student ($): Art supplies and materials cost per enrolled student for the full term.
Facility cost per session ($): Classroom/studio rental cost per session (zero if using own space).
Scholarship students: Percentage of students on full scholarship/free tuition.
Admin overhead: Administrative costs as percentage of direct costs (marketing, registration, insurance).

Total program cost: Complete cost to deliver the program.
Cost per student: Total program cost divided by enrollment.
Tuition per paying student: What each paying student must cover to fully fund the program.
Tuition per session: Per-session tuition charge per paying student.
Cost per student-hour: Program cost per student per hour of instruction.
Total teaching cost: Instructor compensation including prep time.
Total materials cost: Art supplies and materials for all students.
Student-to-instructor ratio: Students per instructor/TA.

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Number of students = 20, Sessions per term = 12, Session length (hours) = 2, Instructor hourly rate ($) = 35 = 9 input(s) provided
Calculate Total program cost
Total program cost = directCosts + adminOverhead
3420 = $3,420
Calculate Cost per student
Cost per student = totalProgramCost / numStudents
171 = $171
Calculate Tuition per paying student
201.18 = $201.18