Pennsylvania College of Art and Design

Private · Moderately Selective · PA

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationPA · Northeast

SettingUrban

Undergrads400

Student:faculty10:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate66.7%

6-yr grad rate68.5%

Drop-out rate14.9%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$32k

Out-of-state tuition$32k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity38.2%

Gender diversity68.5%

International0.2%

Identity—

Overview

Pennsylvania College of Art & Design is a small private art college in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania, offering focused BFA programs in fields such as illustration, graphic design, fine art, and animation. It has no traditional residence halls, drawing a largely local and commuter student body into a tight studio community.

Academics

Programs are structured around studio coursework and critique rather than a broad liberal-arts curriculum, with small cohorts in each concentration allowing close faculty contact throughout a student's degree.

Campus & student life

The college sits in walkable downtown Lancaster, close to the city's galleries and arts events, giving students easy access to the local creative scene despite the school's small size and lack of a conventional campus.

pcad.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate99.2%

Enrolled mid-50%—

Test policynot used

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying