Pacific Northwest College of Art vs Art Center College of Design

Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) and Art Center College of Design (ACCD) stand out as premier institutions for aspiring artists and designers. While both offer a vibrant creative environment and exceptional faculty, they differ in several key aspects. PNCA boasts a smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community, while ACCD's larger size provides a diverse and dynamic learning environment. Acceptance rates vary, with PNCA being slightly more selective. In terms of popular majors, PNCA excels in fine arts, while ACCD is renowned for its industrial design and transportation design programs. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to help you make an informed decision that aligns with your artistic aspirations and career goals.

	Art Center College of Design	Pacific Northwest College of Art
Overview
Location	Pasadena, California	Portland, Oregon
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%	59.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	75.6%	97.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50	$65
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	982	364
Total number of admissions given out	742	355
Admitted students who chose to enroll	269	64
Yield rate	36.3%	18.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$72,066	$63,974
Average net price	$50,420	$36,405
Tuition	$47,334	$41,768
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	64.0% Average amount $17,667	99.0% Average amount $22,027
Students receiving federal student loan	39.0% Average amount $5,367	70.0% Average amount $5,333
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $38,675	6.0% Average amount $18,860

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,028 Men 41.7% Women 58.3%	397 Men 29.0% Women 71.0%
Graduate students	291 Men 42.6% Women 57.4%	84 Men 20.2% Women 79.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	45.4%	4.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	N/A	130
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	Visual & Performing Arts Multidisciplinary Studies English Language and Literature
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	75.9%	35.7%
Dropout rate	9.8%	62.9%
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	Design and Applied Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,658 Year 3: $39,482 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,535 Year 2: $27,494 Year 3: $31,458 Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $24,540 Year 2: $32,029 Year 3: $30,660 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,687 Year 2: $19,835 Year 3: $27,584 Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $27,765 Year 3: N/A

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