About
Columbus College of Art & Design (CCAD) is a private art school in Columbus, Ohio. It was founded in 1879 as the Columbus Art School and is one of the oldest private art and design colleges in the United States. Located in downtown Columbus, CCAD's campus consists of 11 buildings on 9 acres (36,000 m2) and is adjacent to the Columbus Museum of Art. Approximately 900 full-time students are enrolled.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 10.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 8 Title IV programs, 2 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 3 fail. 3 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing2 · 25.0%
- No Data3 · 37.5%
- Failing3 · 37.5%
Severity spectrum
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.
Near the line (±5%)
Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Higher Learning Commission
National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation
Programmatic accreditations · 1
Action history · 5
- Jun 2021Voluntary Withdrawal ReceivedNational Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation
- Jan 2021Renewal of AccreditationHigher Learning Commission
- Nov 2020Renewal of AccreditationNational Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation
- Oct 2019Renewal of AccreditationNational Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation
- Aug 2014Change in Agency recognitionNational Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation · Art and Design (ART) - Degree-granting schools and departments and non-degree-granting programs
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 440 students received $2.6M in Pell grants, alongside $8.9M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
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.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 312 borrowers who entered repayment, 11 (3.5%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* 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.
Academic programs at CCAD
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus4
- Public property3
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
CCAD vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions CCAD selected for federal comparison reporting.
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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectColumbus College of Art & Design | 56% | — | 916 | $29,439 | — |
| 61% | 91.1% | 1,308 | $53,909 | — | |
| 67% | 32.3% | 1,277 | $46,080 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs | |
| 58% | 61.3% | 545 | $29,208 | — | |
| 71% | 91.9% | 1,433 | $34,617 | — | |
| 58% | 54.8% | 813 | $27,650 | — | |
| 67% | 60.5% | 838 | $26,541 | — | |
| 51% | 48.5% | 831 | $29,926 | — | |
| 66% | 81.8% | 1,267 | $51,248 | — | |
| 72% | 69.7% | 1,666 | $57,742 | — | |
University of the Arts | 69% | 78.2% | — | $44,154 | — |
| Peer group median | 66% | 65.5% | 1,092 | $34,617 |
Institutions like CCAD
Explore the federal data for institutions in CCAD's comparison group.
- California
California College of the Arts
Grad rate61%Admit rate91.1%Enrollment1,308Net price$53,909View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsCalifornia
California Institute of the Arts
Grad rate67%Admit rate32.3%Enrollment1,277Net price$46,080View data - Ohio
Cleveland Institute of Art
Grad rate58%Admit rate61.3%Enrollment545Net price$29,208View data - Michigan
College for Creative Studies
Grad rate71%Admit rate91.9%Enrollment1,433Net price$34,617View data - Missouri
Kansas City Art Institute
Grad rate58%Admit rate54.8%Enrollment813Net price$27,650View data - Wisconsin
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design
Grad rate67%Admit rate60.5%Enrollment838Net price$26,541View data - Minnesota
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Grad rate51%Admit rate48.5%Enrollment831Net price$29,926View data - California
Otis College of Art and Design
Grad rate66%Admit rate81.8%Enrollment1,267Net price$51,248View data - Florida
Ringling College of Art and Design
Grad rate72%Admit rate69.7%Enrollment1,666Net price$57,742View data - Pennsylvania
University of the Arts
Grad rate69%Admit rate78.2%Enrollment—Net price$44,154
Reports & documents (1)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
Frequently asked questions about Columbus College of Art & Design
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about CCAD.
What is the graduation rate at Columbus College of Art & Design?
How many students attend Columbus College of Art & Design?
What is the average net price at Columbus College of Art & Design?
What is the yield rate at Columbus College of Art & Design?
Where is Columbus College of Art & Design located?
About the data on this page
Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.
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