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AlmaSpire

Detroit, MI · Private · 1,230 undergraduates · urban

College for Creative Studies

Less selective

Exceptional proximity to the automotive and mobility-design industry, especially for transportation design.

Campus image / Publicly hosted campus image

Institutional profile

Regionally focused Strongest in student experience and mobility.
Academic Steady Affordability Emerging Career Steady Mobility Steady Experience Steady
Academic standing Steady
Affordability Emerging
Career outcomes Steady
Mobility Steady
Student experience Steady
Admission
92.8% admitted

1,132 applicants in the reported year

Price by income
Varies across five income ranges

Compare recent average annual costs by household income

Completion
61.5%

$44,860 median earnings 10 years after enrollment

What sets College for Creative Studies apart

Academic design

Programs are studio-heavy and project-based, with close attention to portfolio development, technical craft, critique, and industry practice across design and fine-arts disciplines.

Campus pattern

The urban campus places students near Detroit museums, design firms, automakers, startups, and cultural institutions, so internships and sponsored projects can sit close to classroom work.

Defining feature

Exceptional proximity to the automotive and mobility-design industry, especially for transportation design.

Can I get in?

92.8% admitted

Most undergraduate art and design programs require a portfolio for admission or placement, with expectations varying by program.

Recent applicant pool

1,132

About 93 in every 100 applicants were admitted.

Admission rate 92.8%
Entering class

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.

Return for a second year79.4%
Finish the degree61.5%

In the season card

Where your GPA sits in the entering class

The full entering-class GPA distribution for College for Creative Studies, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.

See where I land

In the season card

What College for Creative Studies 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  
See what counts here

What moves the application

The evidence that separates a strong file

01

Show preparation for this curriculum

Programs are studio-heavy and project-based, with close attention to portfolio development, technical craft, critique, and industry practice across design and fine-arts disciplines.

02

Make the fit specific

Exceptional proximity to the automotive and mobility-design industry, especially for transportation design.

03

Account for the tradeoff

Most undergraduate art and design programs require a portfolio for admission or placement, with expectations varying by program.

How to apply

Rounds, route, and required materials

Most undergraduate art and design programs require a portfolio for admission or placement, with expectations varying by program.

Application routeInstitution application

No application fee recorded

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.

Published annual cost$67,865
Average annual cost after aid$35,000
Affordability profileEmerging

In the season card

Average annual cost by household income at College for Creative Studies

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+ 
Open the price by income

Is it worth it?

Completion, debt, and earnings

Exceptional proximity to the automotive and mobility-design industry, especially for transportation design.

Complete within 8 years61.5%

Degree completion across the reported entering cohort

Return after year one79.4%

First-year students who return for year two

Median federal debtWhat students owe on the way out

And what that comes to against what they earn.

Median earnings$44,860

Reported 10 years after enrollment

What is campus life like?

College for Creative Studies beyond the classroom

The urban campus places students near Detroit museums, design firms, automakers, startups, and cultural institutions, so internships and sponsored projects can sit close to classroom work.

Academics

A defining academic feature

Programs are studio-heavy and project-based, with close attention to portfolio development, technical craft, critique, and industry practice across design and fine-arts disciplines.

Campus setting

What shapes an ordinary week

The urban campus places students near Detroit museums, design firms, automakers, startups, and cultural institutions, so internships and sponsored projects can sit close to classroom work.

Distinctive edge

What changes the experience

Exceptional proximity to the automotive and mobility-design industry, especially for transportation design.

1,230 undergraduatesMidwesturban settingPrimarily off-campus housing