Pasadena, CA · Private · 2,017 undergraduates · urban
Art Center College of Design
Moderately selective
One of the most career-specialized undergraduate design curricula in the country, including transportation and entertainment design.
Institutional profile
Well established Solid in career outcomes, and solid in student experience.- Admission
- 75% admitted
- Price by income
- Varies across five income ranges
- Completion
- 77.8%
1,339 applicants in the reported year
Compare recent average annual costs by household income
$71,958 median earnings 10 years after enrollment
What sets Art Center College of Design apart
Academic design
Students enter a specific major and begin major-focused studio work early, with programs designed around critique, iteration, visual problem-solving, and industry practice.
Campus pattern
Pasadena places students inside the Los Angeles creative economy, and the college's culture is more studio- and project-driven than a conventional residential liberal-arts campus.
Defining feature
One of the most career-specialized undergraduate design curricula in the country, including transportation and entertainment design.
Can I get in?
75% admitted
Undergraduate admission is major-specific and requires a portfolio tailored to the chosen program; some majors also require additional video or written components.
Recent applicant pool
1,339About 75 in every 100 applicants were admitted.
Record over scores
No score range is published for the entering class, so the transcript, the course rigor, and the required materials carry the file.
In the season card
Where your GPA sits in the entering class
The full entering-class GPA distribution for Art Center College of Design, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.
See where I landIn the season card
What Art Center College of Design weighs when it reads a file
See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.
- Course rigor
- GPA
- Test scores
- Essay
- Recommendations
- Extracurriculars
- Demonstrated interest
What moves the application
The evidence that separates a strong file
Show preparation for this curriculum
Students enter a specific major and begin major-focused studio work early, with programs designed around critique, iteration, visual problem-solving, and industry practice.
Make the fit specific
One of the most career-specialized undergraduate design curricula in the country, including transportation and entertainment design.
Account for the tradeoff
Undergraduate admission is major-specific and requires a portfolio tailored to the chosen program; some majors also require additional video or written components.
How to apply
Rounds, route, and required materials
Undergraduate admission is major-specific and requires a portfolio tailored to the chosen program; some majors also require additional video or written components.
$50 application fee
Major and program admission
Some fields have their own entry path.
The college admit rate above covers the university as a whole. These requirements apply only to the named program.
Performing and visual artsAdmits separately
What this program asks for, and when it closes.
Can I afford it?
Compare annual cost by household income.
Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.
In the season card
Average annual cost by household income at Art Center College of Design
Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.
- $0–30k
- $30–48k
- $48–75k
- $75–110k
- $110k+
Is it worth it?
Completion, debt, and earnings
One of the most career-specialized undergraduate design curricula in the country, including transportation and entertainment design.
Degree completion across the reported entering cohort
First-year students who return for year two
And what that comes to against what they earn.
Reported 10 years after enrollment
Academic portfolio
Largest bachelor’s fields
How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.
Design and Applied Arts
Admits separately
Graphic Communications
Engineering-Related Fields
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians
Film/Video and Photographic Arts
Admits separately
What is campus life like?
Art Center College of Design beyond the classroom
Pasadena places students inside the Los Angeles creative economy, and the college's culture is more studio- and project-driven than a conventional residential liberal-arts campus.
A defining academic feature
Students enter a specific major and begin major-focused studio work early, with programs designed around critique, iteration, visual problem-solving, and industry practice.
What shapes an ordinary week
Pasadena places students inside the Los Angeles creative economy, and the college's culture is more studio- and project-driven than a conventional residential liberal-arts campus.
What changes the experience
One of the most career-specialized undergraduate design curricula in the country, including transportation and entertainment design.