California College of the Arts
San Francisco, CA · Private · Large city · CCA
Private institution in San Francisco, CA · 1,004 undergraduates · 73% acceptance rate · $49,414 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 7%Student-faculty ratio
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
- $42,1681,925th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $57,9461,904th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $57,9461,902nd cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $78,6641,880th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $27,0001,593rd lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $49,4141,100th highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $38,3081,332nd highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 58.7%819th highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 57.4%1,649th highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 73.4%701st most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- —
- Median ACT
- —
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 1,0041,362nd largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 7.0:1144th smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 24.7%1,468th highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 10 mi (SFO)
On 2 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Applying
- EANov 15
- Rollingopen
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- $70
- Personal essay
- Optional / not required
- Writing supplement
- No
Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 10 of 10 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | bachelors | $55,964 | $50,231 |
| Design and Applied ArtsVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | $41,044 | $39,860 |
| Film/Video and Photographic ArtsVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | $33,993 | — |
| Graphic CommunicationsCommunications Technology | bachelors | $30,409 | $30,409 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | $24,562 | $15,552 |
| Architectural Sciences and TechnologyArchitecture | bachelors | — | — |
| Crafts/Craft Design, Folk Art and ArtisanryVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | — | — |
| Human Computer InteractionMultidisciplinary Studies | bachelors | — | — |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing StudiesEnglish Language & Literature | bachelors | — | — |
| WoodworkingPrecision Production | bachelors | — | — |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1907source
- School colors: Blacksource
- Campus size: about 4 acressource
- Formerly known as "School of the California Guild of Arts and Crafts (1907–1908),"source
- Formerly known as "California School of Arts and Crafts (1908–1935),"source
- Formerly known as "California College of Arts and Crafts" (1936–2002)source
- Notable alum: Steve Purcellsource
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to California College of the Arts’s 1,004 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In CA
- William Jessup UniversityRocklin, CA · 1,021 undergrads
- California Institute of TechnologyPasadena, CA · 1,023 undergrads
- New York Film AcademyBurbank, CA · 965 undergrads
- Scripps CollegeClaremont, CA · 1,077 undergrads
- Harvey Mudd CollegeClaremont, CA · 915 undergrads
- Pacific Union CollegeAngwin, CA · 910 undergrads
Elsewhere
- Geneva CollegeBeaver Falls, PA · 1,000 undergrads
- St. Thomas Aquinas CollegeSparkill, NY · 1,009 undergrads
- Wisconsin Lutheran CollegeMilwaukee, WI · 1,009 undergrads
- Guilford CollegeGreensboro, NC · 1,011 undergrads
- Knox CollegeGalesburg, IL · 997 undergrads
- Oklahoma Panhandle State UniversityGoodwell, OK · 997 undergrads
Key links
- Official websitecca.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 110370)
- 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 William Jessup UniversitySide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: California College of the Arts vs William Jessup 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.