Art Center College of Design
Pasadena, CA · Private · Midsize city · ACCD
Private institution in Pasadena, CA · 2,054 undergraduates · 75% acceptance rate · $71,958 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 9%Graduation rate (4-year)
- Top 10%Student-faculty ratio
- Top 13%Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- Top 20%Median earnings, 6 years after entry
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $50,2091,959th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $51,6401,835th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $51,6401,833rd cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $71,6521,829th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $31,0001,821st lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $71,958246th highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $53,562396th highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 82.6%175th highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 82.2%559th highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 75.0%742nd most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- —
- Median ACT
- —
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 2,054927th largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 8.0:1212th smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 24.5%1,480th highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 20 mi (LAX)
On 6 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 8 of 8 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/TechniciansEngineering Technology | bachelors | $78,343 | $81,702 |
| Graphic CommunicationsCommunications Technology | bachelors | $61,218 | $38,289 |
| Engineering-Related FieldsEngineering Technology | bachelors | $60,839 | — |
| Architectural Sciences and TechnologyArchitecture | bachelors | $54,713 | — |
| Design and Applied ArtsVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | $45,435 | $50,856 |
| Film/Video and Photographic ArtsVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | $23,649 | $20,824 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | $22,385 | $20,140 |
| Computer Software and Media ApplicationsComputer Science | bachelors | — | — |
Campus facts
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to Art Center College of Design’s 2,054 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In CA
- Westcliff UniversityIrvine, CA · 2,037 undergrads
- Saint Mary's College of CaliforniaMoraga, CA · 2,024 undergrads
- University of RedlandsRedlands, CA · 2,095 undergrads
- Vanguard University of Southern CaliforniaCosta Mesa, CA · 1,975 undergrads
- Smith Chason CollegeLos Angeles, CA · 2,221 undergrads
- Occidental CollegeLos Angeles, CA · 1,844 undergrads
Elsewhere
- Cumberland UniversityLebanon, TN · 2,053 undergrads
- Otterbein UniversityWesterville, OH · 2,055 undergrads
- Williams CollegeWilliamstown, MA · 2,060 undergrads
- Hamilton CollegeClinton, NY · 2,045 undergrads
- Southwest Minnesota State UniversityMarshall, MN · 2,045 undergrads
- Alvernia UniversityReading, PA · 2,042 undergrads
Key links
- Official websiteartcenter.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 109651)
- Compare colleges in CARe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in CaliforniaEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Compare with Westcliff UniversitySide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: Art Center College of Design vs Westcliff UniversityHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.