School of the Art Institute of Chicago vs California College of the Arts

Envision yourself immersed in a vibrant artistic community, surrounded by creative minds and endless opportunities to hone your craft. As you embark on your journey to find the perfect art school, let's compare two esteemed institutions: the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and the California College of the Arts (CCA). While both offer exceptional art education, they possess distinct characteristics that may influence your decision. SAIC, rooted in the heart of Chicago's dynamic art scene, boasts a lower acceptance rate and a higher graduation rate compared to CCA. CCA, nestled in the San Francisco Bay Area, offers a diverse range of programs, including architecture and design, attracting a larger student body. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details, such as popular majors, student demographics, and more, to discover the institution that best aligns with your artistic aspirations and personal preferences.

	California College of the Arts	School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Overview
Location	San Francisco, California	Chicago, Illinois
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%	83.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	77.6%	81.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $45
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	5,835
Total number of admissions given out	2,210	4,725
Admitted students who chose to enroll	209	669
Yield rate	9.5%	14.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not 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	$67,380
Average net price	$40,231	$50,214
Tuition	$51,792	$52,200
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $13,467 Meal plan: $5,650	Room/dormitory: $13,500 Meal plan: $2,480
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	84.0% Average amount $28,928	93.0% Average amount $20,194
Students receiving federal student loan	23.0% Average amount $5,627	45.0% Average amount $5,504
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $27,943	8.0% Average amount $32,788

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,249 Men 36.3% Women 63.7%	2,795 Men 24.8% Women 75.2%
Graduate students	381 Men 29.9% Women 70.1%	764 Men 25.8% Women 74.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	40.3%	30.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	761	990
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Communications Technology Architecture Multidisciplinary Studies Computer and Information Science	Visual & Performing Arts English Language and Literature Health Professions Education Architecture
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	65.4%	65.0%
Dropout rate	34.2%	7.5%
Transferred out	N/A	25.6%
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	Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,981 Year 2: $22,192 Year 3: $28,893 Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $26,095 Year 2: $22,055 Year 3: $27,442 Architecture (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,707 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $38,461 Year 2: $35,600 Year 3: N/A Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $27,550 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,246 Year 2: $38,829 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