California Institute of Technology vs Art Center College of Design

California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and Art Center College of Design are two highly regarded institutions offering distinct educational experiences. Caltech, known for its rigorous academics and research opportunities in science and engineering, boasts an acceptance rate of 8.4% and a graduation rate of 91%. Art Center, on the other hand, focuses on art and design, with an acceptance rate of 38% and a graduation rate of 75%. While both institutions offer a diverse student body, Caltech's student population leans towards males (62%) in STEM fields, while Art Center's student body is more evenly distributed between males and females (50% each) pursuing creative disciplines. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between these two esteemed institutions. Explore the table to discover which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and career goals.

	Art Center College of Design	California Institute of Technology
Overview
Location	Pasadena, California	Pasadena, California
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	85.0%	99.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	75.6%	3.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $100
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	13,026
Total number of admissions given out	742	510
Admitted students who chose to enroll	269	270
Yield rate	36.3%	52.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$72,066	$82,122
Average net price	$50,420	$30,162
Tuition	$47,334	$56,364
Room & board		Room/dormitory: $10,398 Meal plan: $7,350
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	64.0% Average amount $17,667	54.0% Average amount $47,556
Students receiving federal student loan	39.0% Average amount $5,367	5.0% Average amount $5,333
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $38,675	15.0% Average amount $4,732

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,028 Men 41.7% Women 58.3%	987 Men 55.3% Women 44.7%
Graduate students	291 Men 42.6% Women 57.4%	1,410 Men 66.7% Women 33.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	92.2%
International students	45.4%	29.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	N/A	1,572
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California Texas Georgia Maryland Florida

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Engineering Technologies Communications Technology Architecture Computer and Information Science	Engineering Physical Science Computer and Information Science Biological and Biomedical Sciences Mathematics and Statistics
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	3:1
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	75.9%	92.9%
Dropout rate	9.8%	4.6%
Transferred out	8.6%	1.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $155,297 Year 3: N/A Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $129,693 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $83,177 Year 3: N/A Chemistry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $59,996 Year 2: $89,875 Year 3: N/A

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