Laguna College of Art and Design
Laguna Beach, California · Also known as LCAD · Website
$47,867
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$47,867
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Laguna College of Art and Design is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Laguna Beach, California with 746 undergraduates and 29 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $42,505 a year (tuition and fees $37,500). It admits 94% of applicants and 52% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $47,867 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
$42,505
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$37,500
US median $11,837
Admission rate
94%
US median 78%
Completion rate
52%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$27,000
About $286 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$47,867
Rank 1,669 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
- $42,505
- Tuition and fees
- $37,500
- Cost of attendance
- $57,989
- Students with a need-based grant
- 30%
- Students with federal loans
- 43%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $37,203
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $38,156
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $40,258
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $44,233
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $46,889
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 $28,100 in 2015-16 to $37,500 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
- 94%
- Undergraduates
- 746
- Graduate students
- 29
- Part-time students
- 7.4%
- Women
- 75%
- Students per teacher
- 9
- Completion rate
- 52%
- Retention rate
- 84%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 11
- Endowment
- $4.73M
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 1,669 of 5,094 US colleges and 179 of 494 in California (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $42,505 | $20,161 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $37,500 | $8,086 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 94% | 76% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 52% | 64% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 84% | 80% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $27,000 | $11,537 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $31,987 | $36,048 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $47,867 | $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. 61% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 52% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
11 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 | 94 | $27,000 | $27,785 | $68,934 | $51,490 |
| Graphic CommunicationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 26 | $27,000 | $17,941 | $38,850 | $43,283 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsMaster's | Master's | 13 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $49,079 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 12 | $27,625 | $8,482 | $27,815 | $41,367 |
| Design and Applied ArtsMaster's | Master's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $70,073 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 1 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Graphic CommunicationsCertificate | Certificate | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Design and Applied ArtsCertificate | Certificate | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Fine and Studio ArtsCertificate | Certificate | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $36,104 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | - | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Fine and Studio ArtsPost-bachelor certificate | Post-bachelor certificate | - | Withheld | - | Withheld | $26,285 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Laguna Beach and California on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in California
- Homes: Homes for sale in California
Questions and answers
How much does Laguna College of Art and Design cost?
$42,505 a year is the average net price at Laguna College of Art and Design after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $37,500, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $57,989. Families earning under $30,000 pay $37,203 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Laguna College of Art and Design?
94% of applicants are admitted to Laguna College of Art and Design. The median admission rate of colleges in California is 76%.
How much do Laguna College of Art and Design graduates earn?
$47,867 a year is the median pay of former Laguna College of Art and Design students who work, 10 years after they started ($31,987 after 6 years). That ranks 1,669 of 5,094 US colleges and 179 of 494 in California. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's) at $27,785.
How much student debt do Laguna College of Art and Design graduates have?
$27,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Laguna College of Art and Design graduates, about $286 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 43% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Laguna College of Art and Design?
52% of first-time, full-time students at Laguna College of Art and Design finish within 6 years. 84% 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 Laguna College of Art and Design?
Design and Applied Arts (94 bachelor's graduates), Graphic Communications (26 bachelor's graduates), Fine and Studio Arts (13 master's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 11 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.