About
Otis College of Art and Design is a private art and design school in Los Angeles, California, United States. Established in 1918, it was the city's first independent professional school of art. The main campus is located in the former IBM Aerospace headquarters at 9045 Lincoln Boulevard in Westchester, Los Angeles. The school's programs, accredited by the WSCUC and National Association of Schools of Art and Design, include BFA and MFA degrees.
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
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 7 Title IV programs, 3 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 4 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing3 · 42.9%
- No Data4 · 57.1%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
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.
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.
National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation
WASC Senior College and University Commission
Programmatic accreditations · 1
Action history · 3
- May 2020Renewal of AccreditationNational Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation
- Jun 2018Renewal of AccreditationWASC Senior College and University Commission
- 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, 522 students received $3.3M in Pell grants, alongside $15.6M 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 261 borrowers who entered repayment, 2 (0.7%) defaulted within three years — below 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 OTIS
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
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.
OTIS vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions OTIS 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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectOtis College of Art and Design | 66% | — | 1,267 | $45,864 | — |
Art Center College of Design | 79% | 74.5% | 2,308 | $50,209 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs |
California College of the Arts | 61% | 91.1% | 1,308 | $42,168 | — |
California Institute of the Arts | 67% | 32.3% | 1,277 | $47,183 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Maryland Institute College of Art | 72% | 76.8% | 1,687 | $38,429 | — |
Pratt Institute-Main | 74% | 73.3% | 5,356 | $50,647 | — |
Rhode Island School of Design | 89% | 18.7% | 2,520 | $46,253 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Savannah College of Art and Design | 69% | 83.0% | 18,550 | $45,450 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
School of the Art Institute of Chicago | 67% | 77.5% | 3,394 | $49,822 | — |
School of Visual Arts | 76% | 92.6% | 3,812 | $58,628 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
The New School | 69% | 63.5% | 9,068 | $55,359 | R2 Research |
| Peer group median | 69% | 75.7% | 2,520 | $47,183 |
OTIS Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness (OIRE) develops, conducts, and coordinates research activities, supports institutional effectiveness, strategic planning, assessment and accreditation activities, enrollment management, grants, and related data-driven activities.
Visit IR office page- Angila Romious, Ph.D.Executive Director
Common Data Set (4)
The institution's official annual Common Data Set publications — the most detailed reference for enrollment, admissions, and outcomes.
Reports & documents (4)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DashboardDashboardotis.edu
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- GlossaryInstitutional Research | Otis CollegeThe Institutional Research page at Otis College provides information about the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness (OIRE) and its role in supporting institutional effectiveness, strategic planning, and accountability reporting. It includes data regarding student outcomes, learning assessment, and career outcomes, along with links to external resources.otis.edu
- Strategic planStrategic Plan2025The Otis College of Art and Design's Strategic Plan for 2025-2029 is crafted based on extensive community input. This plan encompasses the creative economy and sustainability as key focus areas. It aims to guide the institution's growth and impact over the next four years with the involvement of all constituencies.otis.edu
Notable alumni of OTIS (13)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Bas Jan AderArt
- Carlos AlmarazArt
- John AltoonArt
- Kim GordonMusic
- Edith HeadFashion
- Dorothy JeakinsFashion
- Philip GustonArt
- David HammonsArt
- Robert IrwinArt
- Kerry James MarshallArt
- Kent TwitchellArt
- Masami TeraokaArt
Frequently asked questions about Otis College of Art and Design
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about OTIS.
What is the graduation rate at Otis College of Art and Design?
How many students attend Otis College of Art and Design?
What is the average net price at Otis College of Art and Design?
What is the yield rate at Otis College of Art and Design?
Where is Otis College of Art and Design located?
Who runs Institutional Research at Otis College of Art and Design?
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