California College of the Arts

Private, Four-years School Located in San Francisco, CA

Save to My School
How much is the California College of the Arts tuition? For the academic year 2023-2024, California College of the Arts's tuition & fees is $57,946.
With indirect costs not billed by school, such as room & boards and personal living expenses, the total cost of attendance for one academic year is $83,201 when a student lives on-campus.

California College of the Arts Tuition & Expenses

2022-2023 Rate
Tuition & Fees$57,946
Books & Supplies Costs$1,500
On-campus Room & Board$19,957
On-campus Expenses$3,798
Off-campus Room & Board$20,277
Off-campus Expenses$4,509
2023-2024 Projection
Tuition & Fees$54,726

How Much Does it Cost to Go to California College of the Arts for 4 Years?

For the class of 2027, who entering colleges in 2023, the 4 years tuition & fees is $268,196 at California College of the Arts. The estimated tuition rate is based on the changes over last 5 years. With room & board, books, and other personal expenses, the estimated 4 years costs of attendance is $376,398. After receiving financial aid including grants, scholarships, and/or student loans, the 4 years COA is down to $263,409.
The following table computes the 4 years tuition and COA by class of year.
College YearTuition & FeesCOAAfter Financial Aid
Freshmen (2023-24)$61,378$86,383$60,526
Sophomore (2024-25)$65,013$91,335$63,946
Junior (2025-26)$68,863$96,571$67,560
Senior (2026-27)$72,942$102,108$71,379
4 Years Total$268,196$376,398$263,409
College YearTuition & FeesCOAAfter Financial Aid
Freshmen (2024-25)$65,013$91,335$63,946
Sophomore (2025-26)$68,863$96,571$67,560
Junior (2026-27)$72,942$102,108$71,379
Senior (2027-28)$77,262$107,964$75,414
4 Years Total$284,080$397,978$278,298
College YearTuition & FeesCOAAfter Financial Aid
Freshmen (2025-26)$68,863$96,571$67,560
Sophomore (2026-27)$72,942$102,108$71,379
Junior (2027-28)$77,262$107,964$75,414
Senior (2028-29)$81,838$114,156$79,678
4 Years Total$300,905$420,799$294,031
College YearTuition & FeesCOAAfter Financial Aid
Freshmen (2026-27)$72,942$102,108$71,379
Sophomore (2027-28)$77,262$107,964$75,414
Junior (2028-29)$81,838$114,156$79,678
Senior (2029-30)$86,685$120,704$84,185
4 Years Total$318,727$444,931$310,655
College YearTuition & FeesCOAAfter Financial Aid
Freshmen (2027-28)$77,262$107,964$75,414
Sophomore (2028-29)$81,838$114,156$79,678
Junior (2029-30)$86,685$120,704$84,185
Senior (2030-31)$91,819$127,629$88,947
4 Years Total$337,603$470,452$328,224

Average Tuition By School Type and Comparison

Compared to four-years schools nationwide, California College of the Arts' tuition is much higher than the average tuition of $20,937. Compared to private, four-years colleges in California, its tuition is much higher than the average tuition of $23,111.
In-StateOut-of-State
California College of the Arts$57,946
U.S. Four-years Colleges$18,672
Public Schools$7,199$12,960
Private Schools$20,937
California Four-years Colleges$20,867
Public Schools$4,034$13,259
Private Schools$23,111

Compare Similar School's Tuition

The next table compares the tuition & fees between California College of the Arts and similar schools. The similar colleges are selected by school type & level (private, four-years), ranking, and comparison frequency by our users. The comparison is based on 2022-2023 tuition rate.
LocationUndergraduateGraduate
California College of the ArtsSan Francisco, CA$57,946$61,030
American Film Institute ConservatoryLos Angeles, CA$64,221$65,800
American Conservatory TheaterSan Francisco, CA$30,285$30,285
Columbia College HollywoodTarzana, CA$26,175-
Dell'Arte International School of Physical TheatreBlue Lake, CA$17,650$17,300
Design Institute of San DiegoSan Diego, CA$29,350$27,100
Interior Designers InstituteNewport Beach, CA$20,250$20,400
Laguna College of Art and DesignLaguna Beach, CA$35,650$41,220
Musicians InstituteHollywood, CA$28,400$32,470
Otis College of Art and DesignLos Angeles, CA$55,513$52,480
Platt College-San DiegoSan Diego, CA$15,310-

Financial Aid and COA

At California College of the Arts, 1,029 students (82%) received grant or scholarship from the federal government, state or local government, the institution, and other sources. The average amount of grant/scholarship received is $24,412.
After receiving financial aid, the cost of attendance (COA) at California College of the Arts is $58,789 for students living on-campus and $59,820 for students living off-campus.
For beginning students (i.e. first-time freshmen), 190 students received any type of financial aid including grants/scholarship and student loans. The average amount of grant/scholarship for the first-time students is $27,563 and the average amount of student loans is $10,631.
The financial aid data is based on 2021-2022 statistics from IPEDS.
COA (on-campus)$83,201
COA (off-campus)$84,232
Tuition & Fees$57,946
Indirect Costs (on-campus)$25,255
Indirect Costs (off-campus)$26,286
COA (on-campus) after Receiving Aid$58,789
COA (off-campus) after Receiving Aid$59,820
Average Financial Aid$24,412
Type of AidNumber Receiving AidPercent Receiving AidAverage Amount of Aid Received
Grant or Scholarship1,02982%$24,412
Pell Grants29623%$5,027
Federal Student Loan32726%$6,957
Type of AidNumber Receiving AidPercent Receiving AidAverage Amount of Aid Received
Any Financial Aid19091%-
Grants or Scholarships19091%$27,563
Federal Grants5627%$5,495
Pell Grants5627%$5,209
Other Federal Grants52%$3,200
State/Local Grants3115%$4,361
Institutional Grants19091%$25,231
Student Loan Aid6129%$10,631
Federal Student Loans6129%$5,021
Other Student Loans115%$31,111

Admission Stats and Requirements to Apply

California College of the Arts's acceptance rate is 77.63%. A total of 2,847 applicants applied to and 2,210 students were accepted. Of the admitted students, 209 enrolled finally, and the yield (i.e. enrollment rate) is 9.46%.
To apply to California College of the Arts, 5 items are required - Secondary school GPA, Secondary school record, Recommendations, Formal demonstration of competencies and TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and 1 items are recommended to submit - Completion of college-preparatory program.
TotalMenWomen
Applicants2,847804$2,043
Admitted2,210592$1,618
Enrolled20968$141
Acceptance Rate77.63%73.63%79.20%
Yield (Enrollment Rate)9.46%11.49%8.71%
Secondary school GPARequired
Secondary school rankNeither Required Nor Recommended
Secondary school recordRequired
Completion of college-preparatory programRecommended
RecommendationsRequired
Formal demonstration of competenciesRequired
Admission test scoresNeither Required Nor Recommended
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)Required
Other Test (Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.)Neither Required Nor Recommended

Student Population

California College of the Arts has a total of 1,501 students including 1,145 undergraduate and 356 graduate students. By gender, there are 567 male students and 1,063 female students attending California College of the Arts. The school offers online degree programs and 5 students enrolled online exclusively (0.33% of all students).
TotalMaleFemale
Total1,630 5671,063
Undergraduate1,249 453796
Graduate381 114267

Directory & Academic Information

Directory Information
Address1111 Eighth Street, San Francisco, CA
Phone510-594-3600
WEBwww.cca.edu
Degree & Programs
DegreeUndergraduate, Graduate
Program Offered33 Programs
Graduate Program Offered10 Graduate Programs
Academic Stats
Acceptance Rate75.69%
Yield8.45%
Student Population1,501
Graduation Rate72%
Retention Rate78%
Students to Faculty Ratio Rate7 to 1
Faculty & Staffs
Number of Faculties86 (Full-time), 332 (Part-time)
Number of Staffs355 (Full-time), 344 (Part-time)
Average Faculty Salary$79,231
Average Staff Salary$80,350