California Institute of the Arts vs Design Institute of San Diego

California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) and Design Institute of San Diego (DSID) stand out as premier institutions for aspiring artists and designers. While both offer a vibrant creative environment, they differ in several key aspects. CalArts boasts a highly selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 35%, compared to DSID's more accessible 70% acceptance rate. CalArts' student body is predominantly made up of undergraduates, while DSID caters to a larger population of graduate students. In terms of academic offerings, CalArts excels in fine arts, performing arts, and animation, while DSID specializes in design, media arts, and digital arts. With distinct strengths and unique educational experiences, CalArts and DSID invite prospective students to explore the detailed comparison table below to find the institution that best aligns with their artistic aspirations and career goals.

	California Institute of the Arts	Design Institute of San Diego
Overview
Location	Valencia, California	San Diego, California
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (For Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	94.0%	50.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	29.0%	100.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $25
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	4
Total number of admissions given out	685	4
Admitted students who chose to enroll	203	4
Yield rate	29.6%	100.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$79,792	$48,752
Average net price	$53,916	$34,113
Tuition	$52,850	$25,500
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	100.0% Average amount $5,309
Students receiving federal student loan	26.0% Average amount $5,615	100.0% Average amount $6,804
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $12,000	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	965 Men 41.6% Women 58.4%	119 Men 10.9% Women 89.1%
Graduate students	479 Men 37.2% Women 62.8%	8 Men 0.0% Women 100.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	25.0%
International students	29.0%	3.9%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	441	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California Kansas

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Communications Technology English Language and Literature Computer and Information Science Multidisciplinary Studies	Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	7:1	9:1
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	71.9%	50.0%
Dropout rate	28.1%	50.0%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,661 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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California Institute of the Arts vs Design Institute of San Diego

California Institute of the Arts

Design Institute of San Diego

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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