Academy of Art vs Art Center College of Design

Academy of Art University and Art Center College of Design stand out as prominent institutions in the realm of art and design education. While both share a commitment to nurturing creative talent, they diverge in several key aspects. Academy of Art University boasts a significantly higher acceptance rate, welcoming a broader range of students, while Art Center College of Design maintains a highly selective admissions process, ensuring a more rigorous academic environment. Furthermore, the student body demographics vary, with Academy of Art University hosting a more diverse population. In terms of popular majors, Academy of Art University offers a wider array of programs, including fashion, interior architecture, and game design, while Art Center College of Design focuses primarily on fine arts, graphic design, and illustration. To delve deeper into these distinctions and discover which institution aligns best with your aspirations, explore the comprehensive comparison table provided on this page.

	Academy of Art University	Art Center College of Design
Overview
Location	San Francisco, California	Pasadena, California
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (For Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	69.0%	85.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	75.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants		982
Total number of admissions given out		742
Admitted students who chose to enroll		269
Yield rate		36.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)		N/A
High school GPA	N/A	Not required
Recommendation letters	N/A	Not required
High school transcript	N/A	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$48,772	$72,066
Average net price	$32,593	$50,420
Tuition	$24,624	$47,334
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $12,944 Meal plan: $6,542
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	80.0% Average amount $9,848	64.0% Average amount $17,667
Students receiving federal student loan	54.0% Average amount $5,958	39.0% Average amount $5,367
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $31,298	2.0% Average amount $38,675

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	5,363 Men 43.4% Women 56.6%	2,028 Men 41.7% Women 58.3%
Graduate students	2,442 Men 34.0% Women 66.0%	291 Men 42.6% Women 57.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	65.9%	N/A
International students	24.2%	45.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,280	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Texas New York Florida Washington	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science Engineering Technologies Communications Technology Family and Consumer Sciences	Visual & Performing Arts Engineering Technologies Communications Technology Architecture Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	38.0%	75.9%
Dropout rate	36.0%	9.8%
Transferred out	20.7%	8.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Software and Media Applications (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,653 Year 2: $88,417 Year 3: $69,026 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $66,077 Year 3: $63,589 Architecture (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $61,681 Computer Software and Media Applications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,476 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $54,958 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $48,823 Year 3: $49,833 Design and Applied Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $43,701 Year 2: $45,340 Year 3: $47,730 Graphic Communications (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $34,420 Year 3: $42,284 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,132 Year 3: $40,098 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,222 Year 2: $33,809 Year 3: $37,527 Music (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,942 Year 3: $35,817	Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,017 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $57,513 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,536 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $27,282 Architectural Sciences and Technology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,380 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Graphic Communications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,126 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,973 Year 2: $81,702 Year 3: N/A Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,061 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,685 Year 2: $20,824 Year 3: N/A Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $11,851 Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $17,249 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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Academy of Art vs Art Center College of Design

Academy of Art University

Art Center College of Design

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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