Pacific Northwest College of Art
Portland, Oregon · Also known as PNCA · Website
$34,883
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$34,883
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Pacific Northwest College of Art is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Portland, Oregon with 420 undergraduates and 44 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $35,785 a year (tuition and fees $49,006). It admits 75% of applicants and 29% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $34,883 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $25,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$35,785
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$49,006
US median $11,837
Admission rate
75%
US median 78%
Completion rate
29%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$25,000
About $265 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$34,883
Rank 3,471 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
- $35,785
- Tuition and fees
- $49,006
- Cost of attendance
- $70,376
- Students with a need-based grant
- 41%
- Students with federal loans
- 52%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $28,219
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $30,517
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $30,916
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $36,998
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $44,522
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 $33,070 in 2015-16 to $49,006 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
- 420
- Graduate students
- 44
- Part-time students
- 2.4%
- Women
- 79%
- Students per teacher
- 9
- Completion rate
- 29%
- Retention rate
- 69%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 11
- Endowment
- $62.6M
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 3,471 of 5,094 US colleges and 40 of 59 in Oregon (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | OR median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $35,785 | $16,940 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $49,006 | $11,997 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 75% | 88% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 29% | 56% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 69% | 76% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $25,000 | $13,667 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $24,101 | $35,390 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $34,883 | $39,477 | $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. 48% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 42% 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 | 42 | $26,000 | $19,501 | Withheld | - |
| Fine and Studio ArtsMaster's | Master's | 32 | $90,387 | $28,794 | Withheld | - |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 21 | $25,000 | $25,906 | Withheld | - |
| Visual and Performing Arts, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 15 | Withheld | $13,895 | Withheld | - |
| Design and Applied ArtsMaster's | Master's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing StudiesMaster's | Master's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and AnalysisMaster's | Master's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Film/Video and Photographic ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Crafts/Craft Design, Folk Art and ArtisanryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Crafts/Craft Design, Folk Art and ArtisanryMaster's | Master's | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Portland and Oregon on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Oregon
- Homes: Homes for sale in Oregon
Questions and answers
How much does Pacific Northwest College of Art cost?
$35,785 a year is the average net price at Pacific Northwest College of Art after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $49,006, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $70,376. Families earning under $30,000 pay $28,219 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Pacific Northwest College of Art?
75% of applicants are admitted to Pacific Northwest College of Art. The median admission rate of colleges in Oregon is 88%.
How much do Pacific Northwest College of Art graduates earn?
$34,883 a year is the median pay of former Pacific Northwest College of Art students who work, 10 years after they started ($24,101 after 6 years). That ranks 3,471 of 5,094 US colleges and 40 of 59 in Oregon. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Fine and Studio Arts (Master's) at $28,794.
How much student debt do Pacific Northwest College of Art graduates have?
$25,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Pacific Northwest College of Art graduates, about $265 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 52% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Pacific Northwest College of Art?
29% of first-time, full-time students at Pacific Northwest College of Art finish within 6 years. 69% 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 Pacific Northwest College of Art?
Design and Applied Arts (42 bachelor's graduates), Fine and Studio Arts (32 master's graduates), Fine and Studio Arts (21 bachelor'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.