Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Minneapolis, Minnesota · Also known as MCAD · Website
$40,873
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$40,873
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Minneapolis College of Art and Design is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Minneapolis, Minnesota with 705 undergraduates and 111 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $29,926 a year (tuition and fees $45,484). It admits 48% of applicants and 51% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $40,873 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
$29,926
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$45,484
US median $11,837
Admission rate
48%
US median 78%
Completion rate
51%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$27,000
About $286 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$40,873
Rank 2,532 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
- $29,926
- Tuition and fees
- $45,484
- Cost of attendance
- $59,972
- Students with a need-based grant
- 42%
- Students with federal loans
- 75%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $23,662
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $23,905
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $26,550
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $33,038
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $34,345
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 $35,326 in 2015-16 to $45,484 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
- 48%
- Average SAT
- 1,161
- Undergraduates
- 705
- Graduate students
- 111
- Part-time students
- 0.3%
- Women
- 70%
- Students per teacher
- 12
- Completion rate
- 51%
- Retention rate
- 75%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 13
- Endowment
- $58.0M
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 2,532 of 5,094 US colleges and 77 of 96 in Minnesota (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | MN median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $29,926 | $16,908 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $45,484 | $9,706 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 48% | 85% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 51% | 53% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 75% | 73% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $27,000 | $14,750 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $35,198 | $42,217 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $40,873 | $45,628 | $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. 66% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 57% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
13 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 | 58 | $26,950 | $23,687 | $39,467 | $51,490 |
| Graphic CommunicationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 24 | $27,000 | $24,427 | $43,745 | $43,283 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsMaster's | Master's | 22 | Withheld | $24,218 | Withheld | $49,079 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 21 | $27,000 | $14,829 | $32,667 | $41,367 |
| Design and Applied ArtsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $70,073 |
| Film/Video and Photographic ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | $27,000 | $26,156 | Withheld | $43,765 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, GeneralOnlineMaster's | Master's | 7 | Withheld | $69,907 | Withheld | $59,460 |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $61,027 |
| WoodworkingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $47,488 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,497 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 0 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Design and Applied ArtsPost-bachelor certificate | Post-bachelor certificate | - | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $81,857 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsPost-bachelor certificate | Post-bachelor certificate | - | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $104,114 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Minneapolis and Minnesota on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Minnesota
- Homes: Homes for sale in Minnesota
Questions and answers
How much does Minneapolis College of Art and Design cost?
$29,926 a year is the average net price at Minneapolis College of Art and Design after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $45,484, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $59,972. Families earning under $30,000 pay $23,662 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Minneapolis College of Art and Design?
48% of applicants are admitted to Minneapolis College of Art and Design. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,161. The median admission rate of colleges in Minnesota is 85%.
How much do Minneapolis College of Art and Design graduates earn?
$40,873 a year is the median pay of former Minneapolis College of Art and Design students who work, 10 years after they started ($35,198 after 6 years). That ranks 2,532 of 5,094 US colleges and 77 of 96 in Minnesota. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Visual and Performing Arts, General (Master's) at $69,907.
How much student debt do Minneapolis College of Art and Design graduates have?
$27,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Minneapolis College of Art and Design graduates, about $286 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 75% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Minneapolis College of Art and Design?
51% of first-time, full-time students at Minneapolis College of Art and Design finish within 6 years. 75% 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 Minneapolis College of Art and Design?
Design and Applied Arts (58 bachelor's graduates), Graphic Communications (24 bachelor's graduates), Fine and Studio Arts (22 master's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 13 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.