Minneapolis College of Art and Design vs California College of the Arts

Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) and California College of the Arts (CCA) stand out as two prominent institutions offering specialized art and design education. While both colleges share a commitment to fostering creativity and innovation, they differ in several key aspects. MCAD, located in the vibrant city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, boasts a smaller student body and a higher acceptance rate compared to CCA, situated in the heart of San Francisco, California. CCA's larger student population and lower acceptance rate reflect its wider recognition and global reputation. Additionally, the two colleges vary in their popular majors, with MCAD focusing on fine arts, illustration, and design, while CCA offers a broader range of programs, including architecture, film, and animation. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these institutions, including student demographics, graduation rates, and more, to determine which college best aligns with your artistic aspirations and academic goals.

	California College of the Arts	Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Overview
Location	San Francisco, California	Minneapolis, Minnesota
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%	77.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	77.6%	65.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
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	638
Total number of admissions given out	2,210	418
Admitted students who chose to enroll	209	163
Yield rate	9.5%	39.0%
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	$55,702
Average net price	$40,231	$28,520
Tuition	$51,792	$41,344
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $13,467 Meal plan: $5,650	Room/dormitory: $5,980 Meal plan: $1,200
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 $25,957
Students receiving federal student loan	23.0% Average amount $5,627	96.0% Average amount $5,416
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $27,943	20.0% Average amount $15,914

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,249 Men 36.3% Women 63.7%	675 Men 31.6% Women 68.4%
Graduate students	381 Men 29.9% Women 70.1%	100 Men 22.0% Women 78.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	44.4%
International students	40.3%	4.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	761	288
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Minnesota Wisconsin Illinois Iowa South Dakota

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	65.4%	66.2%
Dropout rate	34.2%	18.6%
Transferred out	N/A	15.2%
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	Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,967 Year 3: $34,987 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,412 Year 2: $25,967 Year 3: $34,268 Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $25,993 Year 2: $28,236 Year 3: $28,847 Graphic Communications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,090 Year 2: $18,771 Year 3: $26,963 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,098 Year 2: $22,192 Year 3: $25,223 Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,078 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