Laguna College of Art and Design (LCA&D) vs San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI)

Laguna College of Art and Design (LCAD) and San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) stand out as prominent art and design institutions on the West Coast, each offering unique educational experiences. LCAD, located in Laguna Beach, California, boasts a smaller student body and a higher acceptance rate compared to SFAI, which is situated in the vibrant city of San Francisco. While both colleges excel in fine arts programs, LCAD is known for its strengths in illustration, drawing, and painting, while SFAI emphasizes conceptual art, new media, and interdisciplinary practices. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details about these institutions, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, to help you make an informed decision about your artistic journey.

	Laguna College of Art and Design	San Francisco Art Institute
Overview
Location	Laguna Beach, California	San Francisco, California
Campus setting	Rural: Fringe	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	78.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	83.3%	94.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $85
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	581	169
Total number of admissions given out	484	160
Admitted students who chose to enroll	123
Yield rate	25.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A
High school GPA	Required	N/A
Recommendation letters	Not required	N/A
High school transcript	Not required	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$58,264
Average net price	$40,669
Tuition	$33,600
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $12,284
Students receiving federal student loan	72.0% Average amount $7,045
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $27,732

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	735 Men 26.4% Women 73.6%	42 Men 50.0% Women 50.0%
Graduate students	31 Men 41.9% Women 58.1%	28 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	5.1%	N/A
Campus local/setting	Rural: Fringe	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	56	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	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Communications Technology English Language and Literature	Visual & Performing Arts Multidisciplinary Studies Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	4:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	N/A

Outcome
Graduation rate	70.4%	31.8%
Dropout rate	29.6%	68.2%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Graphic Communications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,279 Year 2: $21,234 Year 3: N/A Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,564 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A	Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $32,786 Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $27,309 Year 2: $30,119 Year 3: $30,264 Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,116 Year 2: $28,381 Year 3: $29,237 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,494 Year 2: $22,420 Year 3: $16,882 Visual and Performing Arts, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $16,008 Year 3: N/A

Laguna College of Art and Design

San Francisco Art Institute

Overview

Location

Laguna Beach, California

San Francisco, California

Campus setting

Rural: Fringe

City: Large

College type

4 year

Control/business model

Private (Non Profit)

Calendar system

Semester

Degrees offered

Undergraduate and Graduate

Students retention rate

78.0%

Common app member

Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate

83.3%

94.7%

Application fees

Undergraduate: $45

Graduate: $50

Undergraduate: $75

Graduate: $85

SAT range

N/A

ACT range

N/A

Students submitting SAT score

Students submitting ACT score

Total number of applicants

581

169

Total number of admissions given out

484

160

Admitted students who chose to enroll

123

Yield rate

25.4%

Test scores (SAT/ACT)

N/A

High school GPA

Required

N/A

Recommendation letters

Not required

N/A

High school transcript

Not required

N/A

English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)

Required

N/A

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price

$58,264

Average net price

$40,669

Tuition

$33,600

Room & board

Available payment plans

Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

100.0%

Average amount $12,284

Students receiving federal student loan

72.0%

Average amount $7,045

Students taking out private loans

5.0%

Average amount $27,732

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students

735

Men 26.4% Women 73.6%

Men 50.0% Women 50.0%

Graduate students

Men 41.9% Women 58.1%

Men 32.1% Women 67.9%

Racial/ethnic diversity

Moderate

Out-of-state students

N/A

International students

5.1%

N/A

Campus local/setting

Rural: Fringe

City: Large

Dormitory capacity

N/A

First year students are required to live on campus?

N/A

Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from

N/A

Academics

Popular study areas

Visual & Performing Arts
Communications Technology
English Language and Literature

Visual & Performing Arts
Multidisciplinary Studies
Social Sciences

Students to faculty ratio

8:1

4:1

Institutional accreditation

Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

N/A

Outcome

Graduation rate

70.4%

31.8%

Dropout rate

29.6%

68.2%

Transferred out

N/A

Alumni salary by major (Top 10)

Graphic Communications (Bachelor's Degrees)

Year 1: $22,279
Year 2: $21,234
Year 3: N/A

Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees)

Year 1: $32,564
Year 2: $29,685
Year 3: N/A

Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Master's Degrees)

Year 1: N/A
Year 2: N/A
Year 3: $32,786

Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees)

Year 1: $27,309
Year 2: $30,119
Year 3: $30,264

Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees)

Year 1: $22,116
Year 2: $28,381
Year 3: $29,237

Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees)

Year 1: $24,494
Year 2: $22,420
Year 3: $16,882

Visual and Performing Arts, Other (Bachelor's Degrees)

Year 1: N/A
Year 2: $16,008
Year 3: N/A