Columbus College of Art & Design
Columbus, Ohio · Also known as CCAD · Website
$40,664
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$40,664
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Columbus College of Art & Design is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Columbus, Ohio with 882 undergraduates and 32 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $29,439 a year (tuition and fees $40,825). It admits 68% of applicants and 56% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $40,664 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $27,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$29,439
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$40,825
US median $11,837
Admission rate
68%
US median 78%
Completion rate
56%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$27,000
About $286 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$40,664
Rank 2,575 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
- $29,439
- Tuition and fees
- $40,825
- Cost of attendance
- $54,443
- Students with a need-based grant
- 39%
- Students with federal loans
- 70%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $24,204
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $27,218
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $27,534
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $29,717
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $33,114
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 $32,710 in 2015-16 to $40,825 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
- 68%
- Undergraduates
- 882
- Graduate students
- 32
- Part-time students
- 1.9%
- Women
- 73%
- Students per teacher
- 10
- Completion rate
- 56%
- Retention rate
- 80%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 7
- Endowment
- $25.8M
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 2,575 of 5,094 US colleges and 124 of 243 in Ohio (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | OH median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $29,439 | $17,906 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $40,825 | $15,202 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 68% | 78% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 56% | 59% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 80% | 74% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $27,000 | $14,211 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $30,590 | $36,744 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $40,664 | $41,273 | $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. 59% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 51% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
7 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 | 132 | $27,000 | $27,970 | $48,204 | $51,490 |
| Graphic CommunicationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 52 | $27,000 | $20,110 | $33,389 | $43,283 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 16 | $27,000 | $25,751 | $32,061 | $41,367 |
| Film/Video and Photographic ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 15 | $27,000 | $28,994 | $43,661 | $43,765 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 11 | $63,396 | $27,543 | $35,887 | $59,460 |
| Crafts/Craft Design, Folk Art and ArtisanryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Design and Applied ArtsMaster's | Master's | - | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $70,073 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Columbus and Ohio on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Ohio
- Homes: Homes for sale in Ohio
Questions and answers
How much does Columbus College of Art & Design cost?
$29,439 a year is the average net price at Columbus College of Art & Design after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $40,825, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $54,443. Families earning under $30,000 pay $24,204 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Columbus College of Art & Design?
68% of applicants are admitted to Columbus College of Art & Design. The median admission rate of colleges in Ohio is 78%.
How much do Columbus College of Art & Design graduates earn?
$40,664 a year is the median pay of former Columbus College of Art & Design students who work, 10 years after they started ($30,590 after 6 years). That ranks 2,575 of 5,094 US colleges and 124 of 243 in Ohio. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's) at $28,994.
How much student debt do Columbus College of Art & Design graduates have?
$27,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Columbus College of Art & Design graduates, about $286 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 70% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Columbus College of Art & Design?
56% of first-time, full-time students at Columbus College of Art & Design finish within 6 years. 80% 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 Columbus College of Art & Design?
Design and Applied Arts (132 bachelor's graduates), Graphic Communications (52 bachelor's graduates), Fine and Studio Arts (16 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 7 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.