About

About Art Center College of Design

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Art Center College of Design is a private university in Pasadena, CA, known for its art and design focused, small class sizes, and pasadena california. With an acceptance rate of 71%, Art Center College of Design is accessible for most qualified applicants, typically enrolling around 290 students each year. Art Center College of Design is test optional; submitting a strong score can strengthen an application, though it is not required for consideration. Art Center College of Design offers merit scholarships regardless of financial need, with awards averaging $21,541 per year; the sticker price of $52,044 may look very different from what your family actually pays.

Admissions

Art Center College of Design acceptance rate and admitted student profile

accessible for most qualified applicants

71%
Overall Accept Rate

Application Strategy

Strategy tips for applying to Art Center College of Design

The first 2 tips apply to all applicants. Your personalized strategy requires your profile — build your free list to unlock it.

Application Strategy
At Art Center, your portfolio carries more weight than any other part of your application, so treat it as your primary focus and submit work that shows a clear point of view and intentional craft rather than a broad sampler of everything you have ever made.
Application Strategy
Art Center evaluates portfolios by specific program, so make sure every piece you submit is directly relevant to the department you are applying to, whether that is Transportation Design, Illustration, or Graphic Design, and cut any work that does not belong to that discipline.

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Financial Aid & Cost

What Art Center College of Design actually costs your family

Average net prices by income bracket from College Scorecard data.

Family IncomeSticker PriceEst. Net Cost / yr
0-30k~$52k/yr$39.6k
30k-48k~$52k/yr$42.2k
48k-75k~$52k/yr$44.7k
75k-110k~$52k/yr$45.7k
110k+~$52k/yr$61.1k

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Outcomes & Campus

Student outcomes and campus profile

83%
6-Year Graduation Rate
$54k
Median Earnings (6 yrs)
8:1
Student-Faculty Ratio
2,376
Undergrad Enrollment
Art Center College of Design Acceptance Rate & Admissions | SpearMatch