Cornish College of the Arts
Seattle, WA · Private · Large city · CCA
Private institution in Seattle, WA · 480 undergraduates · 70% acceptance rate · $33,696 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 4%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
- $39,0601,888th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $39,9131,633rd cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $39,9131,601st cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $55,1501,596th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $27,0001,593rd lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $33,6961,812th highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $27,5801,799th highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 52.0%1,075th highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 68.5%1,310th highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 70.5%611th most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- —
- Median ACT
- —
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 4801,689th largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 6.0:194th smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 30.0%1,184th highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 12 mi (SEA)
List appearances
This school doesn’t place in the top slice of any of our 111 lists. Most lists are Top 25–50, so absence here is common and says little on its own.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 7 of 7 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design and Applied ArtsVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | $37,424 | $33,993 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | $23,311 | $22,554 |
| MusicVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | $23,262 | $23,340 |
| DanceVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | $22,834 | $23,340 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | $22,710 | $24,679 |
| Film/Video and Photographic ArtsVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | — | — |
| Interior ArchitectureArchitecture | bachelors | — | — |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1914source
- Athletic nickname: "Redhawks"source
- Campus size: about 4 acressource
- Formerly known as "Cornish College of the Arts"source
- Formerly known as "Cornish School of Allied Arts"source
- Formerly known as "Cornish School of Music"source
- Formerly known as "The Cornish School"source
- Religious affiliation: Catholic Church (Jesuit)source
- Notable alum: Brendan Frasersource
- Notable alum: Beatrice Straightsource
- Notable alum: Merce Cunninghamsource
- Notable alum: C. S. Leesource
- Notable alum: Jane Adamssource
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to Cornish College of the Arts’s 480 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In WA
- Northwest UniversityKirkland, WA · 642 undergrads
- Northwest Indian CollegeBellingham, WA · 677 undergrads
- Faith International UniversityTacoma, WA · 196 undergrads
- Heritage UniversityToppenish, WA · 782 undergrads
- Northwest College of Art & DesignTacoma, WA · 150 undergrads
- Seattle Film InstituteSeattle, WA · 60 undergrads
Elsewhere
- Landmark CollegePutney, VT · 480 undergrads
- Lionel UniversityCarpinteria, CA · 480 undergrads
- College of Biblical Studies-HoustonHouston, TX · 482 undergrads
- Central Baptist CollegeConway, AR · 477 undergrads
- Angeles CollegeLos Angeles, CA · 484 undergrads
- Eastern International College-Jersey CityJersey City, NJ · 474 undergrads
Key links
- Official websitecornish.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 235024)
- Compare colleges in WARe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in WashingtonEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Compare with Northwest UniversitySide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: Cornish College of the Arts vs Northwest 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.