ArtCenter at a Glance
Founded in 1930 and located in Pasadena, California, ArtCenter College of Design is a global leader in art and design education. With a current enrollment of approximately 2,423 students (57% female and 43% male, representing more than 50 countries), the College has a student/faculty ratio of 8 to 1. ArtCenter offers 11 undergraduate and 10 graduate degrees in a wide array of industrial design, visual and applied arts disciplines, as well as minors for undergraduate students in Business, Creative Writing, Material Science, Research, and Social Innovation. The Industrial Design Program offers a joint MS/MBA in partnership with the Drucker School of Management, and the Integrated Studies department offers a First-Year Immersion program that supports students’ transition to undergraduate-level majors with a specialized two-semester course of study.
In addition to its top-ranked academic programs, the College also serves residents of the Greater Los Angeles region through its ArtCenter Extension programs - a highly regarded series of year-round educational programs for all ages and levels of experience.
ArtCenter is a private nonprofit fully accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). Renowned for both its ties to industry and social impact initiatives, the College is the first design school to receive the United Nations’ Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) status.
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Want to know more? Drill down into our data below.
Admissions Profile
Headcount (HC) unless noted (Fall 2022)
- UG Acceptance Rate1: 63%
- UG Percentage (New) Male/Female: 40% / 60%
- Average SAT Verbal/Average SAT Math2 = 615 / 681
- Average high school GPA3 = 3.42
- Average prior college GPA3 = 3.33
- Percentage of New Undergraduate Students from:
- California: 49%
- Out of State: 10%
- International: 41%
- UG Applications Received (CY3 2022) : 1,816
- UG Acceptance Rate1 (CY 2022): 63%
- GR applications received (CY 2022): 853
- GR Acceptance Rate (CY 2022): 40%
Enrollment Profile
Headcount (HC) as of (Fall 2022)4
- Undergraduate students: 2,138
- Graduate students: 285
- Total FTE5 (UG + GR6): 2286.7
- Percentage New First-Time Freshman/New Transfers7: 67% / 33%
- Average Age for New First-Time Freshmen: 18.3
- Average Age for all New Degree-Seeking UG Students: 20.0
- Average Age for Undergraduate Students: 22.2
- Average Age for Graduate Students: 27.3
- Student/Faculty Ratio: 8:1
- # of Internships: 28
- Average Class Size: 10.9 (UG)/8.0 (GR)
Faculty/Staff Profile
Fall 2022 HC
- Full-Time Faculty: 149
- Part-Time Faculty8: 381
- Staff (FT + PT): 371
Retention/Graduation Rates
- First-Year Retention of New First-Time Freshmen (Fall 2021 Cohort): 86%
- Six-Year Graduation Rates New First-Time Freshmen (Fall 2016 cohort): 75%
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Costs
- Yearly Undergrad Tuition and Fees: $49,942 (2 semesters, 2022-2023)
- Yearly Graduate Tuition and Fees: $52,726 (2 semesters, 2022-2023)
- Annual Operating Budget: $127 million (FY 2022)
- $41 million Board-designated endowment (as of 6/30, FY 2022)
- $86 million Donor-restricted endowment (as of 6/30, FY 2022)
Financial Aid
Calendar Year (CY) 2022 unless noted9
- Aid processed: $48,981,634 million
- Students with Financial Need10: 60%
- Students who Received Financial Aid11: 67%
- Students who Received ACCD Scholarship12: 57%
- Average Amount of Scholarship13: $6,518
- Undergraduates who received a Pell Grant14: 26%
- New full-time first-time degree/certificate seeking students who received a Pell Grant14: 16%
Undergraduate Enrollment by Major15
Fall 2022 HC
- Advertising/Creative Direction: 19
- Entertainment Design: 433
- Environmental Design/Spatial Experience Design: 54
- Film: 90
- Fine Art: 57
- First Year Immersion: 16
- Graphic Design: 211
- Illustration: 629
- Interaction Design: 95
- Photography: 62
- Product Design: 267
- Transportation: 180
- Non-Degree: 22
Graduate Enrollment by Major
Fall 2022 HC
- Art: 22
- Brand Design and Strategy: 10
- Grad Film/ Broadcast Cinema: 48
- Grad Environmental Design/Spatial Experience Design16: 15
- Furniture, Lightning, and Fixtures: 11
- Grad Graphic Design: 75
- Grad Transportation Systems and Design: 25
- Interaction Design: 7
- Industrial Design: 26
- Media Design Practices: 45
- Non-Degree: 1
Academic Programs and Distinctions
2021-202217
- Bachelor of Fine Arts or Bachelor of Science offered in 11 undergraduate programs. Master of Fine Arts or Master of Science offered in seven graduate programs
- Minors offered in Business, Creative Writing, Material Science, Research, and Social Innovation
- Joint MS/MBA degree offered in conjunction with Claremont Graduate University’s Drucker School of Management
- Included in Graphic Design USA’s 2023 GDUSA Top Graphic Design Schools
- Included in The Princeton Review’s 2022 list of the Top 50 Game Design programs
- ArtCenter appears in The Hollywood Reporter’s list of 2022's Top 25 Film Schools in America, Variety’s 2022 feature Top 30 Film Schools in North America, MovieMaker’s 40 Best Film Schools in the U.S. & Canada 2022, TheWrap’s Top 50 Film Schools of 2022, UpCity’s 2022 Best Graphic Design Schools that Produce Expert Designers
- ArtCenter awarded 2022 School of the Year in The Young Ones Student Awards, a prestigious global advertising, design and digital marketing competition
- ArtCenter President Karen Hofmann in Los Angeles Business Journal’s list of LA500 Most Influential People in LA
- Intelligent's 2023 rankings include ArtCenter as #5 with the most innovative curriculum in the Top 21 Online Graphic Design Programs, #8 best in the west in the Top 42 Master’s in Graphic Design Degree programs
- Best Universities ranked ArtCenter in Top 5 Best Architecture Schools in California
- Ranked #1 by Payscale’s Best Undergraduate Art Schools by Salary Potential above all other art and design colleges.
- Ranked #1 in Animation Career Review’s 2023 Top 20 Graphic Design School Programs in California
- Ranked #3 in Graphic Design (2023) and #15 in Best Fine Arts Program (2020) in U.S. News & World Report’s list of Best Graduate School Rankings
- Ranked #5 (top 1%) in Animation Career Review’s 2023 Top Graphic Design Schools and Colleges in the U.S.
- Ranked #7 in GradDegree.com’s 2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in California
- Ranked among Top 10 Game Design Programs (#9) in California for Animation Career Review’s 2023 College Rankings
- Ranked #12 in Animation Career Review’s 2023 Top 50 Animation Schools in the U.S.
- Ranked #14 in the QS World University Rankings 2022 according to TopUniversities.com
- Ranked #16 in Regional Universities West and #28 in Top Performers on Social Mobility in U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 list
Employment
Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 figures18
- 93%: Job Placement Rate for Classes of 2020-2021 Bachelor’s (One-Year Out Graduates, 82% Knowledge Rate)
- 92%: Job Placement Rate for the Classes of 2020-2021 Masters (One-Year Out Graduates, 92% Knowledge Rate)
- 95%: Percent of Classes of 2020-2021 Bachelor’s Graduates that indicated Post-Graduation Occupation was Related or Very Related to their Program/Area of Study (One-Year Out Graduates, 82% Knowledge Rate)
- 96%: Percent of the Classes of 2020-2021 Master’s Graduates that indicated Post-Graduation Occupation was Related or Very Related to their Program/Area of Study (One-Year Out Graduates, 92% Knowledge Rate)
- $66,500: Median salary for Classes of 2020-2021 Bachelor’s (One-Year Out Graduates, 35% survey response rate)
- $100,000: Median salary for Classes of 2020-2021 Master’s (One-Year Out Graduates, 34% survey response rate)18
Post Graduate Studies 19
- 3% of Bachelor’s recipients from 2020-2021 indicated that they were subsequently enrolled fulltime in graduate level education within one year of graduation (82% Knowledge Rate)
ArtCenter Extension20
Calendar Year (CY) 2022 figures
- Year-round open enrollment programs for students of all ages. Courses offered at both campuses and online. ArtCenter Extension consists of four programs: ArtCenter Extension (ACX), ACX Teens (ACT), and ACX Kids (ACK). ACX Teachers (ACD) is currently on hiatus.
- Course Enrollment in ArtCenter Extension: 1,848
- Many of the same faculty members teach in the College’s degree programs
- Staff: 7
- Total ACX faculty: 84
- ACX-only faculty: 31
- Faculty Shared with Degree Program: 33
- Course tuition is individually priced
- Typical tuition for one course in ACX $830, ACT $300, ACK $300, ACD $760
- Scholarship applications: 222
- Scholarships awarded: 208
ArtCenter Online20
Calendar Year (CY) 2022 figures
- Online, year-round, non-credit, open enrollment program for teens and adults.
- Courses offered online only in synchronous and asynchronous modalities.
- Course Enrollment in ArtCenter Online: 545
- Staff: 13
- Total ACO faculty: 4
- ACO-only faculty: 2
- Faculty Shared with Degree Program: 2
- Course tuition is individually priced.
- Typical tuition for one online course is: Synchronous $499; Asynchronous for full course: $189; Asynchronous Workshops: $69
Public Galleries21
- 3 Galleries: Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery, Peter and Merle Mullin Gallery, ArtCenter DTLA
- 7 exhibitions in CY 2023
Facilities
2022-2023
- 2 campuses: Hillside and South
- 162.66 acres
- 277,126 net sq. feet of academic/instructional facilities
Library
Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 figures
- Book volumes: 104,112
- DVDs and other cinema: 9,960
- Zines : 1,073
- Video Games: 282
- Current periodical subscriptions: 427
- Research, Image, Video, and Training Databases: 46
- Gate count (i.e. Number of people who walk in the Library): 13,437
- Research/Reference questions: 349
- Instructional sessions: 51
- Total attendance in instructional sessions: 306
Undergraduates Students by Gender23
Fall 2022
- Male: 42%
- Female: 58%
- Another: 0%
Graduate Students by Gender23
Fall 2022
- Male: 47%
- Female: 53%
- Another: 0%
All Students by Gender23
Fall 2022
- Male: 43%
- Female: 57%
- Another: 0%
Undergraduate Students by Ethnicity23
Fall 2022
- International: 44%
- Hispanic/Latino: 10%
- American Indian/Alaska Native: 0%
- Asian: 30%
- Black/African American: 1%
- Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
- White: 11%
- Two or more races: 4%
- Unknown/Undeclared: 0%
Graduate Students by Ethnicity23
Fall 2022
- International: 62%
- Hispanic/Latino: 5%
- American Indian/Alaska Native: 0%
- Asian: 9%
- Black/African American: 4%
- Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
- White: 18%
- Two or more races: 2%
- Unknown/Undeclared: 0%
All Students by Ethnicity23
Fall 2022
- International: 46%
- Hispanic/Latino: 9%
- American Indian/Alaska Native: 0%
- Asian: 28%
- Black/African American: 1%
- Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
- White: 11%
- Two or more races: 4%
- Unknown/Undeclared: 0%
Faculty by Gender23
Fall 2022
Full-Time
- Male: 66%
- Female: 34%
- Another: 0%
Part-Time
- Male: 71%
- Female: 28%
- Another: 0%
Faculty by Ethnicity23
Fall 2022
Full-Time
- International: 1%
- Hispanic/Latino: 13%
- American Indian/Alaska Native: 1%
- Asian: 11%
- Black/African American: 4%
- Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
- White: 67%
- Two or more races: 3%
- Unknown/Undeclared: 0%
Part-Time
- International: 2%
- Hispanic/Latino: 9%
- American Indian/Alaska Native: 0%
- Asian: 15%
- Black/African American: 3%
- Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 1%
- White: 66%
- Two or more races: 2%
- Unknown/Undeclared: 3%
All Staff by Gender23
Fall 2022
- Male: 53%
- Female: 47%
- Another: 0%
All Staff by Ethnicity23
Fall 2022
- International: 1%
- Hispanic/Latino: 25%
- American Indian/Alaska Native: 1%
- Asian: 17%
- Black/African American: 5%
- Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
- White: 49%
- Two or more races: 1%
- Unknown/Undeclared: 1%
Executive Management24
7 in 2022-2023
- Male: 63%
- Female: 37%
- Another: 0%
Executive Management by Ethnicity24
Fall 2022
- International: 0%
- Hispanic/Latino: 0%
- American Indian/Alaska Native: 0%
- Asian: 13%
- Black/African American: 13%
- Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
- White: 75%
- Two or more races: 0%
- Unknown/Undeclared: 0%
Trustees
26 in 2021-2022
- Male: 69%
- Female: 31%
- Another: 0%
Trustees by Ethnicity
Fall 2022
- International: 0%
- Hispanic/Latino: 4%
- American Indian/Alaska Native: 0%
- Asian: 4%
- Black/African American: 15%
- Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
- White: 73%
- Two or more races: 0%
- Unknown/Undeclared: 4%
- 1 Acceptance Rate = Total Accepted Students/Total Applications (including incomplete applications) (note: this differs from IPEDS).
- 2 SATs are optional and only recorded for students who submitted scores.
- 3 CY = Calendar Year
- 4 Data as reported to IPEDS. Differs from internal institutional reports.
- 5 FTE = Full-Time Headcount + (Total PT Credits/12)
- 6 UG = Undergraduate, GR = Graduate
- 7 First-Time Freshmen and New Transfers are coded according to IPEDS definitions.
- 8 Part-time faculty who do not teach courses but who may serve as advisors in particular programs are included in count.
- 9 Total aid processed by Financial Aid. This model historically uses Calendar Year 1/1-12/31.
- 10 Percentage = number of students with need/number of students receiving financial aid in Calendar Year.
- 11 Percentage = students receiving financial aid/unduplicated enrollment count from Enrollment Services in Calendar Year.
- 12 Percentage = students receiving ArtCenter scholarship in Calendar Year/unduplicated enrollment count from Enrollment Services
- 13 Average Institutional scholarship received in Fall 2021 term. For CY21 average aid per term was used.
- 14 Pell Grant reported to IPEDS uses Fall 2021 data. Category sourced from IPEDS reporting.
- 15 Advertising became Creative Direction and Undergraduate Environmental Design became Spatial Experience Design in Spring 2022. First Year Immersion was launched in 2022.Students matriculate into a degree program after completing first year.
- 16 Graduate Environmental Design was split into two programs and renamed Graduate Spatial Experience Design and Graduate Furniture, Lighting and Fixtures in 2022
- 17 Rankings include what is currently available to the public.
- 18 Data from the College’s annual Graduate Employment Survey distributed to One-Year Out Graduates and Knowledge Rate internet research (graduates from the classes of Fall 2020, Spring 2021, and Summer 2021). Job Placement Rates are calculated using the following selections from the survey responses: graduates who indicated a primary status of “Working full-time”, “Working part-time”, or “Enrolled in additional education” one-year post-graduation.
- 19 Data from the College’s annual Graduate Employment Survey distributed to One-Year Out Graduates and Knowledge Rate internet research (graduates from the classes of Fall 2020, Spring 2021, and Summer 2021). Post-Graduation Studies is calculated using the following selections from the survey responses: graduates indicating they were “Enrolling in additional education” one-year post-graduation (not necessarily their primary status).
- 20 ArtCenter Extension was rebranded as ArtCenter Extension and Online in CY 2021.
- 21 Prior to 2021, data was reported for all ArtCenter Galleries and exhibition spaces.
- 22 A zine is a small-edition, self-published work of original or appropriated texts, comics, collages, stories and/or images, usually reproduced via photocopier or risograph.
- 23 All ethnicities and gender reflect IPEDS definitions.
- 24 Senior Vice President of Development is temporarily replaced by Acting Senior Vice President, Development. Provost is temporarily replaced by Interim Provost. We have two individuals in this interim position: Co-Vice President, Marketing and Communications.