Stanford vs Art Center College of Design

Stanford University and Art Center College of Design, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences tailored to different aspirations. Stanford, a world-renowned research university, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 4.7%, while Art Center, a specialized art and design college, maintains a more accessible acceptance rate of 38%. Stanford's diverse student body comprises 7,046 undergraduates and 10,253 graduate students, representing a wide range of backgrounds and interests. In contrast, Art Center's smaller student population of 2,200 undergraduates fosters a close-knit community. While Stanford excels in fields like engineering, computer science, and business, Art Center shines in art and design disciplines, preparing students for careers in the creative industries. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details and discover which institution aligns best with your academic goals and personal aspirations.

	Art Center College of Design	Stanford University
Overview
Location	Pasadena, California	Stanford, California
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	85.0%	98.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	75.6%	3.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $90 Graduate: $125
SAT range	N/A	1470 - 1570
ACT range	N/A	34 - 35
Students submitting SAT score		15.0%
Students submitting ACT score		11.0%
Total number of applicants	982	55,471
Total number of admissions given out	742	2,190
Admitted students who chose to enroll	269	1,757
Yield rate	36.3%	80.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$72,066	$78,898
Average net price	$50,420	$14,402
Tuition	$47,334	$55,473
Room & board		Room/dormitory: $11,166 Meal plan: $6,694
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	64.0% Average amount $17,667	61.0% Average amount $56,211
Students receiving federal student loan	39.0% Average amount $5,367	5.0% Average amount $5,151
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $38,675	1.0% Average amount $17,186

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,028 Men 41.7% Women 58.3%	7,645 Men 49.4% Women 50.6%
Graduate students	291 Men 42.6% Women 57.4%	10,035 Men 56.5% Women 43.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	58.5%
International students	45.4%	24.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	N/A	14,621
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California Texas Washington New York Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Engineering Technologies Communications Technology Architecture Computer and Information Science	Engineering Computer and Information Science Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	5:1
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%	95.5%
Dropout rate	9.8%	1.7%
Transferred out	8.6%	0.6%
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	Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $151,574 Year 2: $170,457 Year 3: $210,837 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $159,729 Year 2: $168,942 Year 3: $203,193 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $164,734 Year 2: $163,337 Year 3: $187,054 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $137,457 Year 2: $150,874 Year 3: $173,548 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $136,126 Year 2: $136,499 Year 3: $165,375 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $128,556 Year 2: $135,709 Year 3: $157,500 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $123,354 Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $139,234 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,326 Year 2: $111,435 Year 3: $126,185 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,457 Year 2: $90,856 Year 3: $107,477 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,475 Year 2: $85,391 Year 3: $104,592

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