Mills College vs Art Center College of Design

Mills College and Art Center College of Design, two esteemed institutions with distinct identities, offer prospective students a unique opportunity to pursue their academic and creative aspirations. Mills College, a women's college rooted in liberal arts education, boasts a long history of empowering women to become leaders and change-makers. Art Center College of Design, on the other hand, is a specialized art and design school renowned for its innovative programs and industry connections. While both institutions share a commitment to excellence, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover which college aligns best with your academic goals, personal preferences, and career aspirations.

	Art Center College of Design	Mills College
Overview
Location	Pasadena, California	Oakland, California
Campus setting	City: Midsize	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	85.0%	62.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	75.6%	79.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	1378 - 1413
ACT range	N/A	30 - 31
Students submitting SAT score		5.0%
Students submitting ACT score		5.0%
Total number of applicants	982	847
Total number of admissions given out	742	676
Admitted students who chose to enroll	269	39
Yield rate	36.3%	5.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$72,066	$51,108
Average net price	$50,420	$25,283
Tuition	$47,334	$29,340
Room & board		$14,369
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	64.0% Average amount $17,667	100.0% Average amount $22,278
Students receiving federal student loan	39.0% Average amount $5,367	47.0% Average amount $5,389
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $38,675	2.0% Average amount $29,740

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,028 Men 41.7% Women 58.3%	446 Men 0.4% Women 99.6%
Graduate students	291 Men 42.6% Women 57.4%	371 Men 18.3% Women 81.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	45.4%	1.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	N/A	705
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 Engineering Technologies Communications Technology Architecture Computer and Information Science	Education Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Business Health Professions
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	8:1
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	75.9%	64.0%
Dropout rate	9.8%	36.0%
Transferred out	8.6%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,017 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $57,513 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,536 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $27,282 Architectural Sciences and Technology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,380 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Graphic Communications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,126 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,973 Year 2: $81,702 Year 3: N/A Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,061 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,685 Year 2: $20,824 Year 3: N/A Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $11,851 Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $17,249 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Business/Managerial Economics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,948 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $70,496 Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,134 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $57,979 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,320 Year 2: $56,579 Year 3: $56,033 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $49,646 Year 3: $52,756 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,658 Year 3: $23,920 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,216 Year 2: $24,808 Year 3: $23,861 Music (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $22,841 Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,229 Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: N/A Literature (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,533 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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