Pacific Northwest College of Art

Private · Moderately Selective · OR

Photo: Lradon (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationOR · West

SettingUrban

Undergrads420

Student:faculty9:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate18.1%

6-yr grad rate29.1%

Drop-out rate30.5%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$49k

Out-of-state tuition$49k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity40.9%

Gender diversity78.6%

International1.2%

Identity—

Overview

Pacific Northwest College of Art is a small art and design school in downtown Portland, Oregon, now operating as part of Willamette University following a 2020 merger. It offers studio-intensive training in fields such as illustration, animation, graphic design, and fine arts, embedded directly in Portland's gallery and design scene rather than on a traditional campus.

Academics

Instruction is organized around studio courses and critique, the standard model for BFA-granting art schools, with faculty who are practicing artists and designers. The Willamette affiliation gives students some access to a broader university's liberal-arts resources alongside their studio-focused coursework.

Campus & student life

The school occupies buildings in downtown Portland rather than a conventional quad-and-dorm campus, putting students within walking distance of the city's museums, galleries, and design studios. Student life is smaller-scale and urban, organized around studio culture and crit nights rather than large-campus traditions.

Worth knowing

The 2020 merger into Willamette University changed the school's institutional structure but not its studio-first character; students should understand they are attending a small, city-based art school with a larger university's name attached rather than a traditional college campus.

pnca.willamette.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate74.9%

Enrolled mid-50%—

Test policynot used

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying