Private nonprofit

Kansas City Art Institute

Kansas City, Missouri·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Plains·kcai.edu
6-yr Graduation
58%
-4.5pp vs peer
Total enrollment
813
peer median 822
Avg net price
$29,555
-$5.9k vs peer
Use this data
Ask Clema

Admissions & acceptance rate

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

Applied
1,125
1,125 candidates competed
Admitted
616
54.8% acceptance rate
Enrolled
216
35.1% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
58%-4.5pp vs peer
4-year graduation
49%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
58%
Full-time retention
78%

Pell equity

12.0pp gap
Pell recipients
53%
Non-Pell
65%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 12.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

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

Of 6 Title IV programs, 2 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 2 fail. 2 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
6
Passing
2
33.3% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
2
33.3% of portfolio
Fail rate
33.3%
+32.7pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

6programs
  • Passing2 · 33.3%
  • No Data2 · 33.3%
  • Failing2 · 33.3%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
1
Recoverable
1
At Risk
1
Watch
1
Safe
0
No data
2

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
-11.5%
$30,798 vs $34,808
Film/Video and Photographic Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-1.6%
$34,253 vs $34,808
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+8.4%
$37,718 vs $34,808
Design and Applied Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+23.7%
$43,070 vs $34,808

Near the line (±5%)

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

1
Film/Video and Photographic Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-1.6%
$555

Debt vs earnings

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

4
Graphic Communications
Bachelor Degree · Communications Technologies/Technicians And Support Services
88%
$27,000 debt · $30,798 earn
Film/Video and Photographic Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
79%
$27,000 debt · $34,253 earn
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
72%
$27,000 debt · $37,718 earn
Design and Applied Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
63%
$27,000 debt · $43,070 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1964Next review Aug 2027
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

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

Accredited since 1948Next review Jun 2032

Action history · 4

  1. Nov 2022Renewal of Accreditation
    National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation
  2. May 2020Renewal of Accreditation
    National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation
  3. Mar 2018Renewal of Accreditation
    National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation
  4. Jul 2017Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission

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$27,374
$30–48k$25,954
$48–75k$27,533
$75–110k$29,454
$110k+$34,880

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

Avg net price (private)
$29,555
-$5,901vs peer median $35,457
Federal loans
70.2%
In-state tuition
$43,550
Out-of-state
$43,550

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 402 students received $2.5M in Pell grants, alongside $6.6M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
402
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$2.5M
$2,488,765 total
Direct Loans
$6.6M
1,149 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$2.0M
480 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$1.7M
521 loan awards
Parent PLUS$2.8M
148 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 171 borrowers who entered repayment, 2 (1.1%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.1%
-1.2pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
171
Defaulted
2
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
8.5%
2017
9.7%
2018
5.8%
2019
1.1%
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 Kansas City Art Institute

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs13
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

142 total completions
01Visual/Performing Arts
11379.6%
02Comm. Technologies
2819.7%
03English Language
10.7%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
813
12-mo unduplicated
811
Undergraduate
811
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
21%172
Women
79%639

Race / ethnicity composition

White
61.6%
Hispanic
14.7%
Two or more
8.3%
Black
8.1%
Asian
3.6%
Unknown
2.1%
Non-resident
1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.4%

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
24.39
18 offenses · 738 students

3-year trend

15.762 yrs ago12.401 yr ago24.39Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
38
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
2
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
11
Aggravated assault
2
Rape
1
Murder
1
Robbery
1
Burglary
1
Fondling
1

By location

18total
  • On campus12
  • Public property6

Includes 5 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

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

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs01
Liquor01

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

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)
61

Kansas City Art Institute vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Kansas City Art Institute 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
SubjectKansas City Art Institute
58%813$29,555
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
51%48.5%831$25,935
New York School of Interior Design
71%62.9%573$41,358
The New England Conservatory of Music
73%41.1%853$42,556
Laguna College of Art and Design
52%94.3%775$42,354
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design
67%60.5%838$27,514
Peer group median63%60.5%822$35,457

Frequently asked questions about Kansas City Art Institute

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Kansas City Art Institute.

What is the graduation rate at Kansas City Art Institute?

Kansas City Art Institute reports a 6-year graduation rate of 58% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Kansas City Art Institute?

Kansas City Art Institute reports a total enrollment of 813 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Kansas City Art Institute?

The average net price at Kansas City Art Institute is $29,555 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Kansas City Art Institute?

Kansas City Art Institute's yield rate is 35.1%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Kansas City Art Institute located?

Kansas City Art Institute is located in Kansas City, Missouri 64111-1874.

Have a question this page can’t answer?

Ask Clema anything about Kansas City Art Institute and its peers — plain language in, cited answers out, in minutes instead of days.

Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card