Northwest College of Art & Design
Tacoma, Washington · Also known as NCAD · Website
$31,167
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$31,167
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Northwest College of Art & Design is a for-profit 4-year college in Tacoma, Washington with 139 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $16,418 a year (tuition and fees $18,100). It admits 66% of applicants and 58% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $31,167 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $30,750 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$16,418
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$18,100
US median $11,837
Admission rate
66%
US median 78%
Completion rate
58%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$30,750
About $326 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$31,167
Rank 3,932 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
- $16,418
- Tuition and fees
- $18,100
- Cost of attendance
- $30,038
- Students with a need-based grant
- 51%
- Students with federal loans
- 48%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $12,977
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $11,857
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $17,146
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $24,031
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $29,101
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 $19,050 in 2015-16 to $18,100 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
- 66%
- Undergraduates
- 139
- Part-time students
- 4.3%
- Women
- 68%
- Students per teacher
- 34
- Completion rate
- 58%
- Retention rate
- 77%
- Highest degree
- Bachelor's degree
- Programs
- 1
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 3,932 of 5,094 US colleges and 79 of 87 in Washington (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | WA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $16,418 | $14,091 | $28,553 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $18,100 | $8,256 | $17,408 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 66% | 83% | 91% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 58% | 50% | 50% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 77% | 80% | 67% | 75% |
| Median debt | $30,750 | $13,653 | $20,899 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $27,505 | $42,696 | $36,954 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $31,167 | $47,869 | $40,092 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US for-profit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 37% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 44% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
1 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 | 17 | $30,734 | $27,694 | $35,885 | $51,490 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Tacoma and Washington on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Washington
- Homes: Homes for sale in Washington
Questions and answers
How much does Northwest College of Art & Design cost?
$16,418 a year is the average net price at Northwest College of Art & Design after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $18,100, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $30,038. Families earning under $30,000 pay $12,977 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Northwest College of Art & Design?
66% of applicants are admitted to Northwest College of Art & Design. The median admission rate of colleges in Washington is 83%.
How much do Northwest College of Art & Design graduates earn?
$31,167 a year is the median pay of former Northwest College of Art & Design students who work, 10 years after they started ($27,505 after 6 years). That ranks 3,932 of 5,094 US colleges and 79 of 87 in Washington. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's) at $27,694.
How much student debt do Northwest College of Art & Design graduates have?
$30,750 is the median federal student loan debt of Northwest College of Art & Design graduates, about $326 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 48% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Northwest College of Art & Design?
58% of first-time, full-time students at Northwest College of Art & Design finish within 6 years. 77% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of for-profit 4-year colleges is 50%.
What are the most popular majors at Northwest College of Art & Design?
Design and Applied Arts (17 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 1 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.