Tuition and Aid

Estimated Cost of Attendance

Each term, tuition fees include up to 19 credits for undergraduate students and 24 credits for graduate students.

Every student who applies for financial aid is assigned a cost of attendance (COA). This COA is often referred to as a student budget. The student budget gives you an estimate of the cost to attend ArtCenter. This means your actual expenses may differ from what is listed.

The COA includes Direct Costs and Indirect Costs.

Direct Costs (Billed by ArtCenter)

Direct costs are costs that will be billed to you by ArtCenter for each semester you attend. Tuition and fees are the only direct costs applied to all students. If you enroll in the ArtCenter Student Health Insurance Plan, you will also be billed for Health Insurance. If you already have sufficient health insurance coverage, you may submit a waiver with proof of coverage to opt out of the plan.

Note: As the College strives toward the highest level of education, tuition increases typically occur once a year in the Fall Term. Students should plan for such usual increases.

Fees: The Universal Access Fee (UAF) covers specialized costs associated with technology and equipment usage that facilitate learning and making specific to art and design education across departments. This includes, but is not limited to, software access and licensing and usage of the Shops and 3D Modeling labs, computer labs, Educational Media Equipment Center, and the support, upgrades, and maintenance related to providing such resources. Due to increased demand for these critical services, the proliferation of digital making across all departments, and expanded multimodal course offerings, periodic adjustments to the UAF may be necessary to ensure that students have access to critical, specialized tools necessary for their development and learning.

Student Health Insurance: All ArtCenter students enrolled in a degree program are required to have health insurance. Enrolled students will be automatically enrolled in the college’s Student Health Insurance Program at the beginning of each term unless a waiver is successfully completed demonstrating that sufficient health insurance coverage has already been attained. The cost will be $360 per term and will appear as a separate itemized cost on your tuition statement. If you acquire a waiver, this cost will be removed from your tuition statement. For more information visit the Student Health Insurance page. 

Indirect Costs (Estimated)

Indirect costs are paid by the student. Your indirect costs will vary depending on your individual classes and lifestyle and include books, course materials, supplies and equipment, housing, food, transportation, and personal expenses. You should estimate the amount you will need for these items.

We have included an estimated amount in the following budget. Students can help to lower their cost of living expenses by living at home, sharing an apartment or room with another student, eating meals at home, and by using public transportation. Students who have questions about their budget expenses should meet with a financial aid counselor to discuss their situation.

Due Dates and Payment Process

Student tuition is due and payable by Friday of the first week of class (Week 1). If full payment is not received by this date, a one-time non-refundable Payment Plan Fee of $75 will be assessed. Tuition may be paid by check, credit card, cashier’s check, ACH or wire transfer. Contact StudentAccounts@artcenter.edu for bank instructions to send an ACH or a wire.

If paying by check, please make check, money order or cashier’s check payable to ArtCenter College of Design.

Financial aid will be credited to your account and deducted from the amount due. If you are expecting financial aid, please only pay the amount that is not covered by your aid. This can be viewed online by the student by logging in to Inside.ArtCenter.edu.

Refunds on tuition overpayments are available only after tuition and fees are paid in full, and your account has a credit balance.