California College of the Arts

Private · Moderately Selective · CA

Photo: HaeB (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationCA · West

SettingUrban

Undergrads990

Student:faculty8:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate47.5%

6-yr grad rate61.2%

Drop-out rate13.3%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$60k

Out-of-state tuition$60k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity79.2%

Gender diversity67.4%

International31.9%

Identity—

Overview

California College of the Arts is a private art and design college with campuses in San Francisco, one of relatively few independent art schools of its caliber on the West Coast. Its identity is inseparable from the Bay Area's design and technology industries, which supply both instructors and hiring pipelines, and from a maker culture tracing back to the school's Arts and Crafts movement roots.

Academics

Programs are studio-intensive and portfolio-driven throughout — industrial design, graphic design, illustration, architecture, and fine arts are the standout areas, each built around critique-based studio culture rather than lecture courses. Faculty frequently work as practicing designers or artists alongside teaching, giving students direct exposure to current industry practice.

Campus & student life

Life at CCA centers on studio time — long hours in shared workspaces are normal, and student culture reflects that intensity rather than a conventional college social calendar built around dorms and athletics. The San Francisco location puts students close to galleries, design firms, and tech companies that shape the surrounding creative economy.

Getting in

Admission is portfolio-driven above all — a strong portfolio matters more than standardized test scores or a conventional GPA-focused application, consistent with art-school norms nationally.

After graduation

Graduates go on to design and creative roles across the Bay Area's tech and design industries, as well as independent art and design careers, with the school's location giving students real proximity to employers during school itself through internships and industry contact.

Worth knowing

Because the curriculum is studio-based, students should expect a workload structured very differently from a traditional liberal arts schedule — critique sessions, long studio hours, and portfolio development replace much of the lecture-and-exam model.

cca.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate91.1%

Enrolled mid-50%—

Test policynot used

Rec letters—

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Applying