California Institute of the Arts vs Rice University

California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) and Rice University stand as two distinct beacons of higher education, each offering a unique blend of academic excellence and vibrant campus life. CalArts, renowned for its exceptional arts programs, boasts an acceptance rate of 33%, while Rice University, known for its rigorous academics, maintains a highly selective acceptance rate of 10%. While both institutions attract talented students from diverse backgrounds, CalArts' student body leans towards the arts, with popular majors including Film/Video, Dance, and Music, while Rice's student body excels in STEM fields, with popular majors such as Engineering, Computer Science, and Economics. With graduation rates of 75% and 93% respectively, both universities equip their graduates with the skills and knowledge necessary to thrive in their chosen fields. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve deeper into the distinctive characteristics of these two esteemed institutions and discover which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	California Institute of the Arts	Rice University
Overview
Location	Valencia, California	Houston, Texas
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: 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%	97.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	29.0%	9.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $85
SAT range	N/A	1490 - 1570
ACT range	N/A	34 - 35
Students submitting SAT score		46.0%
Students submitting ACT score		29.0%
Total number of applicants	2,364	29,544
Total number of admissions given out	685	2,802
Admitted students who chose to enroll	203	1,226
Yield rate	29.6%	43.8%
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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$79,792	$71,745
Average net price	$53,916	$18,521
Tuition	$52,850	$52,070
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,040 Meal plan: $5,095	Room/dormitory: $10,100 Meal plan: $4,700
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $18,119	61.0% Average amount $51,036
Students receiving federal student loan	26.0% Average amount $5,615	9.0% Average amount $4,982
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $12,000	2.0% Average amount $24,340

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	965 Men 41.6% Women 58.4%	4,247 Men 51.5% Women 48.5%
Graduate students	479 Men 37.2% Women 62.8%	4,038 Men 63.9% Women 36.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	56.1%
International students	29.0%	25.5%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	441	3,533
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Texas California New York Florida Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Communications Technology English Language and Literature Computer and Information Science Multidisciplinary Studies	Business Engineering Computer and Information Science Social Sciences Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	7:1	6:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	71.9%	92.3%
Dropout rate	28.1%	6.9%
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	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $122,770 Year 2: $129,481 Year 3: $145,256 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $128,659 Year 2: $127,993 Year 3: $134,258 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,801 Year 2: $83,915 Year 3: $92,763 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $87,989 Year 2: $72,884 Year 3: $81,590 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,400 Year 2: $68,219 Year 3: $76,594 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $49,840 Year 3: $61,295 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $50,231 Year 3: $59,421 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,232 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $52,284 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,009 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $46,363 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,474 Year 2: $30,119 Year 3: $45,615

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California Institute of the Arts

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