Private nonprofit

Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Minneapolis, Minnesota·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Plains·mcad.edu
6-yr Graduation
51%
-6.0pp vs peer
Total enrollment
831
peer median 835
Avg net price
$25,935
-$3.9k vs peer
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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
854
854 candidates competed
Admitted
414
48.5% acceptance rate
Enrolled
161
38.9% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
51%-6.0pp vs peer
4-year graduation
40%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
51%
Full-time retention
75%

Pell equity

17.0pp gap
Pell recipients
40%
Non-Pell
57%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 17.0-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 12 Title IV programs, 2 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 9 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
12
Passing
2
16.7% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
8.3% of portfolio
Fail rate
8.3%
+7.7pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

12programs
  • Passing2 · 16.7%
  • No Data9 · 75.0%
  • Failing1 · 8.3%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
1
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
1
Safe
0
No data
9

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.

3
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-10.5%
$32,667 vs $36,491
Design and Applied Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+8.2%
$39,467 vs $36,491
Graphic Communications
Bachelor Degree · Communications Technologies/Technicians And Support Services
+19.9%
$43,745 vs $36,491

Debt vs earnings

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

3
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
83%
$27,000 debt · $32,667 earn
Design and Applied Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
68%
$27,000 debt · $39,467 earn
Graphic Communications
Bachelor Degree · Communications Technologies/Technicians And Support Services
62%
$27,000 debt · $43,745 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1960Next review Aug 2036
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

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

Accredited since 1948Next review Jun 2028

Programmatic accreditations · 1

Action history · 4

  1. Jan 2026Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  2. Dec 2021Voluntary Withdrawal Received
    National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation
  3. Nov 2018Renewal of Accreditation
    National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation
  4. Jun 2016Renewal 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$20,912
$30–48k$20,630
$48–75k$22,690
$75–110k$28,900
$110k+$31,859

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

Avg net price (private)
$25,935
-$3,912vs peer median $29,847
Federal loans
73.5%
In-state tuition
$43,824
Out-of-state
$43,824

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 351 students received $2.0M in Pell grants, alongside $7.1M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
351
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$2.0M
$1,971,247 total
Direct Loans
$7.1M
1,107 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
464 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$1.5M
471 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$899K
59 loan awards
Parent PLUS$2.5M
107 loan awards
Grad PLUS$81K
6 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 219 borrowers who entered repayment, 2 (0.9%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.9%
-1.4pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
219
Defaulted
2
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
4.0%
2017
5.6%
2018
1.3%
2019
0.9%
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 MCAD

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs16
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

182 total completions
01Visual/Performing Arts
14076.9%
02Comm. Technologies
2312.6%
03Business
158.2%
04Communication
31.6%
05Precision Production
10.5%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
831
12-mo unduplicated
905
Undergraduate
749
Graduate
156

Gender split

Men
31%278
Women
69%627

Race / ethnicity composition

White
63.5%
Hispanic
10.8%
Asian
7.8%
Two or more
7.0%
Black
6.7%
Unknown
1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native
1.3%
Non-resident
1.1%

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
14.62
12 offenses · 821 students

3-year trend

7.892 yrs ago6.451 yr ago14.62Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
23
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
1
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
1

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
8
Burglary
3
Fondling
1

By location

12total
  • On campus8
  • Non-campus1
  • Public property3

Includes 3 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

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

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs02
Liquor00

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
12.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
37

MCAD vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions MCAD 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
SubjectMinneapolis College of Art and Design
51%831$25,935
Kansas City Art Institute
58%54.8%813$29,555
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design
67%60.5%838$27,514
Laguna College of Art and Design
52%94.3%775$42,354
Columbus College of Art & Design
56%67.7%916$30,139
The New England Conservatory of Music
73%41.1%853$42,556
Peer group median57%60.5%835$29,847

Frequently asked questions about Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about MCAD.

What is the graduation rate at Minneapolis College of Art and Design?

Minneapolis College of Art and Design reports a 6-year graduation rate of 51% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Minneapolis College of Art and Design?

Minneapolis College of Art and Design reports a total enrollment of 831 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Minneapolis College of Art and Design?

The average net price at Minneapolis College of Art and Design is $25,935 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Minneapolis College of Art and Design?

Minneapolis College of Art and Design's yield rate is 38.9%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Minneapolis College of Art and Design located?

Minneapolis College of Art and Design is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404.

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