Pacific Northwest College of Art vs Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) and Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offer unique educational experiences for aspiring artists and designers. PNCA, located in Portland, Oregon, is known for its focus on contemporary art practices and its close-knit community, while Cooper Union, situated in New York City, stands out for its rigorous academic programs and its commitment to social justice. With acceptance rates of 85% and 10%, respectively, these institutions cater to different applicant pools. PNCA's popular majors include Fine Arts, Illustration, and Graphic Design, while Cooper Union offers programs in Architecture, Art, and Engineering. Explore the comparison table below to delve into further details about these institutions, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to determine which one aligns best with your artistic aspirations and academic goals.

	Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art	Pacific Northwest College of Art
Overview
Location	New York, New York	Portland, Oregon
Campus setting	City: 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	91.0%	59.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	14.7%	97.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $75	$65
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	2,678	364
Total number of admissions given out	393	355
Admitted students who chose to enroll	210	64
Yield rate	53.4%	18.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$67,146	$63,974
Average net price	$20,757	$36,405
Tuition	$44,550	$41,768
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $38,212	99.0% Average amount $22,027
Students receiving federal student loan	20.0% Average amount $4,814	70.0% Average amount $5,333
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $24,000	6.0% Average amount $18,860

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	876 Men 53.2% Women 46.8%	397 Men 29.0% Women 71.0%
Graduate students	60 Men 80.0% Women 20.0%	84 Men 20.2% Women 79.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	36.5%	N/A
International students	14.6%	4.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	170	130
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York New Jersey California Florida Texas	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Visual & Performing Arts Architecture	Visual & Performing Arts Multidisciplinary Studies English Language and Literature
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	83.4%	35.7%
Dropout rate	11.8%	62.9%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,818 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $19,405 Astronomy and Astrophysics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,379 Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: N/A	Design and Applied Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,658 Year 3: $39,482 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,535 Year 2: $27,494 Year 3: $31,458 Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $24,540 Year 2: $32,029 Year 3: $30,660 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,687 Year 2: $19,835 Year 3: $27,584 Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $27,765 Year 3: N/A

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Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

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