California Institute of the Arts vs American Conservatory Theater

California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) and American Conservatory Theater (ACT) are two esteemed institutions offering specialized arts education. CalArts, located in Valencia, California, is a private university renowned for its innovative approach to the arts, while ACT, based in San Francisco, California, is a renowned conservatory dedicated to theater training. With acceptance rates of 29% and 25%, respectively, both schools are highly selective, attracting talented students from around the world. CalArts offers a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate programs in art, dance, film, music, and theater, while ACT focuses exclusively on theater training at the graduate level. While CalArts boasts a larger student body with a diverse demographic, ACT's smaller size fosters a close-knit community among its students. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between these two prestigious institutions, including popular majors, student body demographics, graduation rates, and more.

	American Conservatory Theater	California Institute of the Arts
Overview
Location	San Francisco, California	Valencia, California
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate		94.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	N/A	29.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $90 Graduate: $90	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants		2,364
Total number of admissions given out		685
Admitted students who chose to enroll		203
Yield rate		29.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$51,676	$79,792
Average net price		$53,916
Tuition	$30,235	$52,850
Room & board		Room/dormitory: $7,040 Meal plan: $5,095
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)		99.0% Average amount $18,119
Students receiving federal student loan		26.0% Average amount $5,615
Students taking out private loans		1.0% Average amount $12,000

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11 Men 45.5% Women 54.5%	965 Men 41.6% Women 58.4%
Graduate students	13 Men 46.2% Women 53.8%	479 Men 37.2% Women 62.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	N/A	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	N/A	29.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	N/A	441
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts	Visual & Performing Arts Communications Technology English Language and Literature Computer and Information Science Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	6:1	7:1
Institutional accreditation	N/A	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	100.0%	71.9%
Dropout rate	N/A	28.1%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $18,087 Year 3: $27,588	Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $24,469 Year 2: $32,563 Year 3: $36,735 Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $14,239 Year 2: $23,456 Year 3: $29,527 Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $29,030 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,555 Year 2: $22,420 Year 3: $28,984 Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $17,629 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $28,791 Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,992 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $22,579 Music (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $15,918 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $21,662 Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $26,425 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $21,635 Dance (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,773 Year 2: $15,182 Year 3: N/A Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $49,840 Year 3: N/A

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California Institute of the Arts vs American Conservatory Theater

American Conservatory Theater

California Institute of the Arts

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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