Moore College of Art and Design

Private · Moderately Selective · PA

Photo: Daderot (CC0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationPA · Northeast

SettingUrban

Undergrads535

Student:faculty9:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate52%

6-yr grad rate57.1%

Drop-out rate19.4%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$53k

Out-of-state tuition$53k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity52.1%

Gender diversity100%

International0%

Identity—

Overview

Moore College of Art & Design, founded in 1848 in Philadelphia, was the first women's art school in the country, and its undergraduate programs remain women-only even as some graduate offerings have opened more broadly. It sits in the city's museum district, near the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Academics

Fashion design and illustration are Moore's strongest, most recognized programs, and art education has deep roots here as well, tracing back to the school's early mission of training women as art teachers. Classes are small and studio-based, typical of independent art colleges.

Campus & student life

The campus sits along Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Parkway museum corridor, giving students walking access to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the city's broader design and arts community. Its small size and single-sex undergraduate population make for a tight-knit student culture distinct from most art schools.

Getting in

A portfolio is central to admission, as at other independent art colleges, and fit with a women's-college environment is part of what the school looks for.

After graduation

Fashion design and illustration graduates move into design houses, publishing, and Philadelphia's broader creative economy, aided by the school's long history and name recognition specifically in those two fields.

Worth knowing

Moore is one of the very few remaining women's colleges focused on art and design nationally, which is a defining and deliberate part of its identity, not an incidental fact about its history.

moore.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate56.5%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1180–1380 · ACT 26–32

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying