California Institute of the Arts vs Harvard
California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) and Harvard University stand as two distinct beacons of higher education, each offering a unique path to academic excellence. CalArts, renowned for its focus on the arts, boasts an acceptance rate of 33%, while Harvard, a bastion of academic rigor, maintains a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of just 5%. While both institutions attract a diverse student body, CalArts' student population leans towards the arts, with popular majors including Film/Video, Music, and Dance, while Harvard's student body is more evenly distributed across a wide range of disciplines, with popular majors including Computer Science, Economics, and Government. With a graduation rate of 89%, CalArts ensures that its students are well-prepared for their chosen careers, while Harvard's exceptional 98% graduation rate speaks to its commitment to academic achievement. Delve into the comparison table below to discover more about these two esteemed institutions and determine which one aligns best with
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![]() California Institute of the Arts |
![]() Harvard University |
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Overview |
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Location | Valencia, California | Cambridge, Massachusetts |
Campus setting | Suburb: Large | City: Midsize |
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 | 94.0% | 96.0% |
![]() |
No | Yes |
Religious affiliation | ||
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Admission |
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Acceptance rate | 29.0% | 4.0% |
Application fees |
Undergraduate:
$70
Graduate:
$70
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Undergraduate:
$75
Graduate:
$105
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SAT range | N/A | 1480 - 1580 |
ACT range | N/A | 33 - 36 |
Students submitting SAT score | 54.0% | |
Students submitting ACT score | 31.0% | |
Total number of applicants | 2,364 | 57,786 |
Total number of admissions given out | 685 | 2,318 |
Admitted students who chose to enroll | 203 | 1,951 |
Yield rate | 29.6% | 84.2% |
Test scores (SAT/ACT) | N/A | N/A |
High school GPA | Not required | Not required |
Recommendation letters | Required | Required |
High school transcript | Not required | Not required |
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) | Required | Not required |
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Tuition and Fees |
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Sticker price | $79,792 | $78,028 |
Average net price | $53,916 | $13,910 |
Tuition | $52,850 | $51,143 |
Room & board |
Room/dormitory:
$7,040
Meal plan:
$5,095
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Room/dormitory:
$11,705
Meal plan:
$7,236
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Available payment plans |
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Financial Aid |
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Students receiving financial aid
(Grants & scholarships) |
99.0%
Average amount $18,119 |
56.0%
Average amount $59,840 |
Students receiving federal student loan |
26.0%
Average amount $5,615 |
3.0%
Average amount $5,180 |
Students taking out private loans |
1.0%
Average amount $12,000 |
2.0%
Average amount $8,080 |
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Students and Campus |
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Undergraduate students |
965
Men 41.6% Women 58.4% |
9,579
Men 49.0% Women 51.0% |
Graduate students |
479
Men 37.2% Women 62.8% |
21,766
Men 46.3% Women 53.7% |
Racial/ethnic diversity |
Moderate
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Moderate
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Out-of-state students | N/A | N/A |
International students | 29.0% | 23.9% |
Campus local/setting | Suburb: Large | City: Midsize |
Dormitory capacity | 441 | 12,874 |
First year students are required to live on campus? | No | Yes |
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from | N/A | New York California Texas Illinois New Jersey |
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Academics |
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Popular study areas |
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Students to faculty ratio | 7:1 | 7:1 |
Institutional accreditation | Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission | New England Commission on Higher Education |
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Outcome |
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Graduation rate | 71.9% | 96.7% |
Dropout rate | 28.1% | 2.0% |
Transferred out | N/A | N/A |
Alumni salary by major (Top 10) |
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Master's Degrees)
Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees)
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degrees)
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees)
Music (Bachelor's Degrees)
Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees)
Music (Master's Degrees)
Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Master's Degrees)
Dance (Bachelor's Degrees)
Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees)
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Statistics (Bachelor's Degrees)
Law (First Professional Degrees)
Business Administration, Management and Operations (First Professional Degrees)
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Graduate/Professional Certificates)
Public Health (Master's Degrees)
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Master's Degrees)
Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
Education, General (Doctoral Degrees)
Dentistry (First Professional Degrees)
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