Art Center College of Design

Pasadena, CA · Private

Official website

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Admission rate

Art Center College of Design admitted 74.5% of applicants university-wide (1,089 of 1,461).

CohortAdmit rateAdmittedApplicants
University-wide74.5%1,0891,461
Men69.9%302432
Women76.5%7871,029

Of 1,089 admitted students, 343 enrolled (31.5% yield).

Art Center College of Design Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C1–C2 · 2024Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.

Test scores and GPA of admitted students

GPA (mid-50%, 4.0 scale)
3.503.50

Testing policy: Test-blind (scores not considered)

Art Center College of Design Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C9–C12 · 2024Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.

Cost and financial aid

Published cost of attendance: $74,170/yr.

Out-of-state tuition$54,170
Fees, housing, food, books & other$20,000
Sticker cost of attendance$74,170/yr

Average net price by family income (US, federal aid data)

Under $30k$39,645
$30k–48k$42,161
$48k–75k$44,738
$75k–110k$45,677
Over $110k$61,144

U.S. Dept. of Education · College Scorecard — average net price by family income (Title IV, from IPEDS) · 2023

US applicants

Need- and merit-based aid available.

  • ArtCenter ScholarshipVaries (Other)

International applicants

Some aid available for internationals.

  • ArtCenter ScholarshipVaries (Other)

Art Center College of Design Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections G–H · 2024

Application requirements

US applicants

  • Fully Completed Application
  • Transcripts
  • Portfolio
  • Essays
  • English Proficiency (if applicable)
  • SAT or ACT Scores (optional)
  • Application fee

International applicants

  • Fully Completed Application
  • Transcripts
  • Portfolio
  • Essays
  • English Proficiency (if applicable)
  • SAT or ACT Scores (optional)
  • Application fee
  • GPA credential conversion
  • Predicted Class XII marksheet
  • Financial documentation (I-20)

Art Center College of Design · Application requirements (official admissions pages) · 2025

Essay prompts

Draft these in the free Essay Coach

Prompts from the Own portal member feed · verified Jul 3, 2026

Graduate outcomes

Median earnings
$71,958
Median earnings · 10 years after entry
Graduation rate
79.2%
Within 150% of normal time
First-year retention
86%
Return for year two · CDS Section B
Median debt
$31,000
At graduation

Art Center College of Design · U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2023 release) · 2023Earnings and debt figures are federal data for aid-receiving graduates — cohort outcomes, not a guarantee for any individual student.

Published rankings

  • Forbes: #370

Deadlines

Academics and campus

Largest degree fields: Visual & performing arts (50%), Computer & information sciences (5%).

Student–faculty ratio: 8:1 · 76% of class sections have under 20 students.

Art Center College of Design Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections E, F, I · 2024Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.

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