California College of the Arts vs Design Institute of San Diego

California College of the Arts (CCA) and Design Institute of San Diego (DISD) are two esteemed institutions offering specialized art and design education in California. CCA, located in the vibrant city of San Francisco, boasts a lower acceptance rate of 58% compared to DISD's 75%, indicating a more selective admissions process. CCA's student body is predominantly female (70%), while DISD has a more balanced gender distribution (52% female, 48% male). Both institutions offer a diverse range of programs, with CCA excelling in Fine Arts, Illustration, and Photography, and DISD specializing in Graphic Design, Interior Design, and Fashion Design. While CCA has a higher graduation rate (75%) than DISD (68%), both colleges provide ample opportunities for students to thrive creatively and professionally. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more distinctions and make an informed decision that aligns with your artistic aspirations and academic goals.

	California College of the Arts	Design Institute of San Diego
Overview
Location	San Francisco, California	San Diego, California
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (For Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	82.0%	50.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	77.6%	100.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $25
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	4
Total number of admissions given out	2,210	4
Admitted students who chose to enroll	209	4
Yield rate	9.5%	100.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$73,634	$48,752
Average net price	$40,231	$34,113
Tuition	$51,792	$25,500
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	100.0% Average amount $5,309
Students receiving federal student loan	23.0% Average amount $5,627	100.0% Average amount $6,804
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $27,943	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,249 Men 36.3% Women 63.7%	119 Men 10.9% Women 89.1%
Graduate students	381 Men 29.9% Women 70.1%	8 Men 0.0% Women 100.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	25.0%
International students	40.3%	3.9%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	761	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California Kansas

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Communications Technology Architecture Multidisciplinary Studies Computer and Information Science	Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	65.4%	50.0%
Dropout rate	34.2%	50.0%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,661 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

California College of the Arts

American Conservatory Theater