Private nonprofit

College for Creative Studies

Detroit, Michigan·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Great Lakes·ccsdetroit.edu
6-yr Graduation
71%
+4.0pp vs peer
Total enrollment
1,433
peer median 877
Avg net price
$33,342
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
1,079
1,079 candidates competed
Admitted
992
91.9% acceptance rate
Enrolled
247
24.9% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
71%+4.0pp vs peer
4-year graduation
49%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
71%
Full-time retention
82%

Pell equity

1.0pp gap
Pell recipients
70%
Non-Pell
71%

Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates — a notably small equity gap.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 15 Title IV programs, 4 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 11 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
15
Passing
4
26.7% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

15programs
  • Passing4 · 26.7%
  • No Data11 · 73.3%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
2
Watch
0
Safe
2
No data
11

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

4
Graphic Communications
Bachelor Degree · Communications Technologies/Technicians And Support Services
+3.1%
$34,003 vs $32,989
Film/Video and Photographic Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+8.5%
$35,797 vs $32,989
Crafts/Craft Design Folk Art and Artisanry
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+26.5%
$41,739 vs $32,989
Design and Applied Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+85.6%
$61,222 vs $32,989

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

1
Graphic Communications
Bachelor Degree · Communications Technologies/Technicians And Support Services
+3.1%
+$1,014

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

4
Graphic Communications
Bachelor Degree · Communications Technologies/Technicians And Support Services
79%
$27,000 debt · $34,003 earn
Film/Video and Photographic Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
76%
$27,251 debt · $35,797 earn
Crafts/Craft Design Folk Art and Artisanry
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
67%
$28,000 debt · $41,739 earn
Design and Applied Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
44%
$27,000 debt · $61,222 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1977Next review Aug 2026
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation

Accredited since 1972Next review Jun 2028

Programmatic accreditations · 1

Action history · 3

  1. May 2019Renewal of Accreditation
    National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation
  2. Aug 2016Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  3. Aug 2014Change in Agency recognition
    National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation · Art and Design (ART) - Degree-granting schools and departments and non-degree-granting programs

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$29,648
$30–48k$27,176
$48–75k$32,467
$75–110k$33,869
$110k+$37,605

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$33,342
vs peer median $33,342
Federal loans
53.3%
In-state tuition
$51,355
Out-of-state
$51,355

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 464 students received $2.7M in Pell grants, alongside $12.3M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
464
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$2.7M
$2,680,062 total
Direct Loans
$12.3M
1,496 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$2.4M
600 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$2.1M
631 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$121K
7 loan awards
Parent PLUS$7.6M
255 loan awards
Grad PLUS$57K
3 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 308 borrowers who entered repayment, 5 (1.6%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.6%
-0.7pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
308
Defaulted
5
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
8.7%
2017
5.2%
2018
5.4%
2019
1.6%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at College for Creative Studies

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs17
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

339 total completions
01Visual/Performing Arts
14843.7%
02Comm. Technologies
8023.6%
03Engineering Tech
7421.8%
04Computer Sciences
257.4%
05Multi/Interdisciplinary
123.5%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
1,433
12-mo unduplicated
1,548
Undergraduate
1,485
Graduate
63

Gender split

Men
34%526
Women
66%1,022

Race / ethnicity composition

White
53.4%
Black
11.6%
Unknown
11.1%
Non-resident
8.2%
Hispanic
5.1%
Asian
5.1%
Two or more
5.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.3%

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
1.32
2 offenses · 1,517 students

3-year trend

0.662 yrs ago0.621 yr ago1.32Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
4
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
3
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
2

Criminal offenses by type

Robbery
1
Fondling
1

By location

2total
  • On campus2

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
1
Dating violence
2
Stalking
3 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs00
Liquor01

Residence-hall fires

  • Art Center Building1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
10.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
54

College for Creative Studies vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions College for Creative Studies selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectCollege for Creative Studies
71%1,433$33,342
Cranbrook Academy of Art
113
Columbus College of Art & Design
56%67.7%916$30,139
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design
67%60.5%838$27,514
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
67%77.5%3,394$49,822
Cleveland Institute of Art
58%61.3%545$41,480
Peer group median67%64.5%877$33,342

Frequently asked questions about College for Creative Studies

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about College for Creative Studies.

What is the graduation rate at College for Creative Studies?

College for Creative Studies reports a 6-year graduation rate of 71% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend College for Creative Studies?

College for Creative Studies reports a total enrollment of 1,433 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at College for Creative Studies?

The average net price at College for Creative Studies is $33,342 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at College for Creative Studies?

College for Creative Studies's yield rate is 24.9%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is College for Creative Studies located?

College for Creative Studies is located in Detroit, Michigan 48202.

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