California College of the Arts vs American Conservatory Theater

California College of the Arts (CCA) and American Conservatory Theater (ACT) are two esteemed institutions offering distinct educational experiences in the arts. CCA, located in the vibrant city of San Francisco, is a private art and design college known for its rigorous programs in fine arts, design, and architecture. ACT, situated in the heart of San Francisco's theater district, is a renowned conservatory dedicated to training aspiring actors, directors, and theater artists. While both institutions share a commitment to artistic excellence, they differ in their acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and career goals.

	American Conservatory Theater	California College of the Arts
Overview
Location	San Francisco, California	San Francisco, California
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate		82.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	N/A	77.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $90 Graduate: $90	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants		2,847
Total number of admissions given out		2,210
Admitted students who chose to enroll		209
Yield rate		9.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$51,676	$73,634
Average net price		$40,231
Tuition	$30,235	$51,792
Room & board		Room/dormitory: $13,467 Meal plan: $5,650
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)		84.0% Average amount $28,928
Students receiving federal student loan		23.0% Average amount $5,627
Students taking out private loans		2.0% Average amount $27,943

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11 Men 45.5% Women 54.5%	1,249 Men 36.3% Women 63.7%
Graduate students	13 Men 46.2% Women 53.8%	381 Men 29.9% Women 70.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	N/A	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	N/A	40.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	N/A	761
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts	Visual & Performing Arts Communications Technology Architecture Multidisciplinary Studies Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	6:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	N/A	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	100.0%	65.4%
Dropout rate	N/A	34.2%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $18,087 Year 3: $27,588	Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,106 Year 2: $77,536 Year 3: $105,977 Architecture (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,344 Year 2: $50,231 Year 3: $66,934 Architecture (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,396 Year 2: $56,776 Year 3: $61,388 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,949 Year 2: $39,860 Year 3: $49,787 Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $31,472 Year 2: $34,467 Year 3: $38,025 Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,206 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $37,442 Graphic Communications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $16,698 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: $23,743 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,560 Year 2: $15,552 Year 3: $19,229 Design and Applied Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,520 Year 2: $86,129 Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $123,170 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

American Conservatory Theater

California College of the Arts

Overview

Location

San Francisco, California

Campus setting

City: Large

College type

4 year

Control/business model

Private (Non Profit)

Calendar system

Semester

Degrees offered

Undergraduate and Graduate

Students retention rate

82.0%

Common app member

Yes

Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate

N/A

77.6%

Application fees

Undergraduate: $90

Graduate: $90

Undergraduate: $70

Graduate: $70

SAT range

N/A

ACT range

N/A

Students submitting SAT score

Students submitting ACT score

Total number of applicants

2,847

Total number of admissions given out

2,210

Admitted students who chose to enroll

209

Yield rate

9.5%

Test scores (SAT/ACT)

N/A

High school GPA

Not required

Required

Recommendation letters

Required

High school transcript

Not required

English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)

Not required

Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price

$51,676

$73,634

Average net price

$40,231

Tuition

$30,235

$51,792

Room & board

Room/dormitory: $13,467

Meal plan: $5,650

Available payment plans

Tuition payment plan

Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

84.0%

Average amount $28,928

Students receiving federal student loan

23.0%

Average amount $5,627

Students taking out private loans

2.0%

Average amount $27,943

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students

Men 45.5% Women 54.5%

1,249

Men 36.3% Women 63.7%

Graduate students

Men 46.2% Women 53.8%

381

Men 29.9% Women 70.1%

Racial/ethnic diversity

N/A

Moderate

Out-of-state students

N/A

International students

N/A

40.3%

Campus local/setting

City: Large

Dormitory capacity

N/A

761

First year students are required to live on campus?

N/A

Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from

N/A

Academics

Popular study areas

Visual & Performing Arts

Visual & Performing Arts
Communications Technology
Architecture
Multidisciplinary Studies
Computer and Information Science

Students to faculty ratio

6:1

8:1

Institutional accreditation

N/A

Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate

100.0%

65.4%

Dropout rate

N/A

34.2%

Transferred out

N/A

Alumni salary by major (Top 10)

Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Master's Degrees)

Year 1: N/A
Year 2: $18,087
Year 3: $27,588

Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management (Master's Degrees)

Year 1: $86,106
Year 2: $77,536
Year 3: $105,977

Architecture (Bachelor's Degrees)

Year 1: $57,344
Year 2: $50,231
Year 3: $66,934

Architecture (Master's Degrees)

Year 1: $61,396
Year 2: $56,776
Year 3: $61,388

Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees)

Year 1: $35,949
Year 2: $39,860
Year 3: $49,787

Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees)

Year 1: $31,472
Year 2: $34,467
Year 3: $38,025

Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degrees)

Year 1: $42,206
Year 2: $35,060
Year 3: $37,442

Graphic Communications (Bachelor's Degrees)

Year 1: $16,698
Year 2: $30,409
Year 3: $23,743

Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees)

Year 1: $23,560
Year 2: $15,552
Year 3: $19,229

Design and Applied Arts (Master's Degrees)

Year 1: $92,520
Year 2: $86,129
Year 3: N/A

Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)

Year 1: $123,170
Year 2: N/A
Year 3: N/A

California College of the Arts vs American Conservatory Theater

American Conservatory Theater

California College of the Arts

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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