Art Center College of Design
Pasadena, California · Website
$71,958
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$71,958
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Art Center College of Design is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Pasadena, California with 2,017 undergraduates and 270 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $48,661 a year (tuition and fees $54,170). It admits 75% of applicants and 79% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $71,958 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $31,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$48,661
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$54,170
US median $11,837
Admission rate
75%
US median 78%
Completion rate
79%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$31,000
About $329 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$71,958
Rank 337 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $48,661
- Tuition and fees
- $54,170
- Cost of attendance
- $75,649
- Students with a need-based grant
- 22%
- Students with federal loans
- 33%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $39,645
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $42,161
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $44,738
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $45,677
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $61,144
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $39,230 in 2015-16 to $54,170 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 75%
- Undergraduates
- 2,017
- Graduate students
- 270
- Part-time students
- 11%
- Women
- 60%
- Students per teacher
- 9
- Completion rate
- 79%
- Retention rate
- 86%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 16
- Endowment
- $152.7M
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 337 of 5,094 US colleges and 57 of 494 in California (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $48,661 | $20,161 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $54,170 | $8,086 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 75% | 76% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 79% | 64% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 86% | 80% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $31,000 | $11,537 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $53,562 | $36,048 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $71,958 | $41,472 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 70% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 66% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
16 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design and Applied ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 245 | $31,000 | $47,053 | $76,093 | $51,490 |
| Graphic CommunicationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 79 | $37,000 | $67,010 | Withheld | $43,283 |
| Engineering-Related FieldsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 51 | $35,636 | $66,860 | $92,293 | $89,619 |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/TechniciansBachelor's | Bachelor's | 50 | $50,250 | $59,384 | $90,188 | $82,073 |
| Film/Video and Photographic ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 41 | $28,750 | $22,988 | $49,933 | $43,765 |
| Design and Applied ArtsMaster's | Master's | 31 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $70,073 |
| Computer Software and Media ApplicationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 20 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $58,894 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 18 | Withheld | Withheld | $33,073 | $41,367 |
| Architectural Sciences and TechnologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 17 | Withheld | Withheld | $77,401 | $70,074 |
| Film/Video and Photographic ArtsMaster's | Master's | 16 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,486 |
| Architectural Sciences and TechnologyMaster's | Master's | 15 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $77,466 |
| Computer Software and Media ApplicationsMaster's | Master's | 14 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $120,083 |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/TechniciansMaster's | Master's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $117,775 |
| Engineering-Related FieldsMaster's | Master's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $125,651 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsMaster's | Master's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | $30,188 | $49,079 |
| Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, OtherOnlineMaster's | Master's | 0 | - | - | Withheld | - |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Pasadena and California on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in California
- Homes: Homes for sale in California
Questions and answers
How much does Art Center College of Design cost?
$48,661 a year is the average net price at Art Center College of Design after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $54,170, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $75,649. Families earning under $30,000 pay $39,645 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Art Center College of Design?
75% of applicants are admitted to Art Center College of Design. The median admission rate of colleges in California is 76%.
How much do Art Center College of Design graduates earn?
$71,958 a year is the median pay of former Art Center College of Design students who work, 10 years after they started ($53,562 after 6 years). That ranks 337 of 5,094 US colleges and 57 of 494 in California. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Graphic Communications (Bachelor's) at $67,010.
How much student debt do Art Center College of Design graduates have?
$31,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Art Center College of Design graduates, about $329 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 33% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Art Center College of Design?
79% of first-time, full-time students at Art Center College of Design finish within 6 years. 86% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Art Center College of Design?
Design and Applied Arts (245 bachelor's graduates), Graphic Communications (79 bachelor's graduates), Engineering-Related Fields (51 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 16 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.