Pennsylvania College of Art and Design
Lancaster, PA · Private · Small city · PCAD
Private institution in Lancaster, PA · 312 undergraduates · 46% acceptance rate · $33,301 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 14%Acceptance rate
- Top 14%Student-faculty ratio
- Top 23%Pell Grant share
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
- $29,2661,698th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $31,3701,381st cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $31,3701,306th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $41,3941,248th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $27,0001,604th lowest of 1,880 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $33,3011,829th highest of 1,969 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $23,6381,892nd highest of 1,964 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 63.8%635th highest of 2,031 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 82.5%551st highest of 1,853 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 45.9%226th most selective of 1,608 reporting
- Average SAT
- —
- Median ACT
- —
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 3121,789th largest of 2,162 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 9.0:1304th smallest of 2,159 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 46.1%493rd highest of 2,140 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 58 mi (PHL)
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.
Applying
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- Free
- Personal essay
- 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 3 of 3 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design and Applied ArtsVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | — | — |
| Film/Video and Photographic ArtsVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | — | — |
| Fine and Studio ArtsVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | — | — |
Campus facts
Key links
- Official websitepcad.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 215053)
- Compare colleges in PARe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in PennsylvaniaEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Showdown: Pennsylvania College of Art and Design vs Clarks Summit 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.