About
Pennsylvania College of Art & Design is a private art and design college located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States. The college offers Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Bachelor of Arts (BA), Associate of Fine Arts (AFA), and Associate of Arts (AA) degrees, as well as minors, certificate programs, and continuing education opportunities.
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 13.0-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 12 Title IV programs, 1 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 11 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing1 · 8.3%
- No Data11 · 91.7%
- 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.
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation
Action history · 3
- Mar 2023Renewal of AccreditationMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
- Jun 2020Approved for Distance EducationMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
- Nov 2018Renewal of AccreditationNational Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation
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, 210 students received $1.3M in Pell grants, alongside $3.5M 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 81 borrowers who entered repayment, 3 (3.7%) 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 PCAD
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
- North Market1 fireCookingDamage $0-$99
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
PCAD vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions PCAD 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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectPennsylvania College of Art and Design | 69% | — | 414 | $30,083 | — |
| — | — | 379 | — | — | |
| 41% | 34.5% | 213 | $34,253 | — | |
| 32% | — | 853 | $25,865 | — | |
| 37% | 49.5% | 71 | $17,683 | — | |
| 61% | 91.1% | 1,308 | $53,909 | — | |
| 100% | 66.7% | 6 | $44,554 | — | |
| — | — | 107 | $27,632 | — | |
| 58% | 61.3% | 545 | $29,208 | — | |
| 72% | 47.3% | 293 | $28,226 | — | |
| 71% | 91.9% | 1,433 | $34,617 | — | |
| 56% | 67.7% | 916 | $29,439 | — | |
| 56% | 62.2% | 505 | $40,062 | — | |
| — | — | 113 | — | — | |
| 100% | 4.6% | 161 | $27,946 | — | |
| 58% | 54.8% | 813 | $27,650 | — | |
| 52% | 94.3% | 775 | $42,505 | — | |
| — | 84.4% | 317 | $38,530 | — | |
| 52% | 76.1% | 475 | $38,338 | — | |
| — | — | 42 | — | — | |
| 78% | 40.8% | 1,084 | $51,754 | — | |
| 72% | 76.8% | 1,687 | $42,729 | — | |
| 69% | 76.3% | 1,989 | $24,100 | — | |
| 67% | 60.5% | 838 | $26,541 | — | |
| 51% | 48.5% | 831 | $29,926 | — | |
| 57% | 56.5% | 549 | $43,086 | — | |
| — | — | 106 | — | — | |
| 71% | 62.9% | 573 | $45,271 | — | |
| 66% | 81.8% | 1,267 | $51,248 | — | |
| 58% | — | 41 | $42,454 | — | |
| 74% | 73.3% | 5,356 | $52,659 | — | |
| 72% | 69.7% | 1,666 | $57,742 | — | |
| 74% | 54.9% | 439 | $42,607 | — | |
| 67% | 77.5% | 3,394 | $49,790 | — | |
| 91% | 9.2% | 1,073 | $43,571 | — | |
| 73% | 41.1% | 853 | $46,754 | — | |
| 78% | 30.0% | 1,111 | $14,906 | — | |
University of the Arts | 69% | 78.2% | — | $44,154 | — |
| Peer group median | 68% | 62.6% | 573 | $39,296 |
Institutions like PCAD
Explore the federal data for institutions in PCAD's comparison group.
- California
American Film Institute Conservatory
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment379Net price—View data - Ohio
Art Academy of Cincinnati
Grad rate41%Admit rate34.5%Enrollment213Net price$34,253View data - Massachusetts
Boston Architectural College
Grad rate32%Admit rate—Enrollment853Net price$25,865View data - California
California College of ASU
Grad rate37%Admit rate49.5%Enrollment71Net price$17,683View data - California
California College of the Arts
Grad rate61%Admit rate91.1%Enrollment1,308Net price$53,909View data - California
California Jazz Conservatory
Grad rate100%Admit rate66.7%Enrollment6Net price$44,554View data - Ohio
Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment107Net price$27,632View data - Ohio
Cleveland Institute of Art
Grad rate58%Admit rate61.3%Enrollment545Net price$29,208View data - Ohio
Cleveland Institute of Music
Grad rate72%Admit rate47.3%Enrollment293Net price$28,226View data - Michigan
College for Creative Studies
Grad rate71%Admit rate91.9%Enrollment1,433Net price$34,617View data - Ohio
Columbus College of Art & Design
Grad rate56%Admit rate67.7%Enrollment916Net price$29,439View data - Washington
Cornish College of the Arts
Grad rate56%Admit rate62.2%Enrollment505Net price$40,062View data - Michigan
Cranbrook Academy of Art
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment113Net price—View data - Pennsylvania
Curtis Institute of Music
Grad rate100%Admit rate4.6%Enrollment161Net price$27,946View data - Missouri
Kansas City Art Institute
Grad rate58%Admit rate54.8%Enrollment813Net price$27,650View data - California
Laguna College of Art and Design
Grad rate52%Admit rate94.3%Enrollment775Net price$42,505View data - Massachusetts
Longy School of Music of Bard College
Grad rate—Admit rate84.4%Enrollment317Net price$38,530View data - Maine
Maine College of Art & Design
Grad rate52%Admit rate76.1%Enrollment475Net price$38,338View data - Maine
Maine Media College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment42Net price—View data - New York
Manhattan School of Music
Grad rate78%Admit rate40.8%Enrollment1,084Net price$51,754View data - Maryland
Maryland Institute College of Art
Grad rate72%Admit rate76.8%Enrollment1,687Net price$42,729View data - Massachusetts
Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Grad rate69%Admit rate76.3%Enrollment1,989Net price$24,100View 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 - Pennsylvania
Moore College of Art and Design
Grad rate57%Admit rate56.5%Enrollment549Net price$43,086View data - New York
New York Academy of Art
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment106Net price—View data - New York
New York School of Interior Design
Grad rate71%Admit rate62.9%Enrollment573Net price$45,271View data - California
Otis College of Art and Design
Grad rate66%Admit rate81.8%Enrollment1,267Net price$51,248View data - Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Grad rate58%Admit rate—Enrollment41Net price$42,454View data - New York
Pratt Institute-Main
Grad rate74%Admit rate73.3%Enrollment5,356Net price$52,659View data - Florida
Ringling College of Art and Design
Grad rate72%Admit rate69.7%Enrollment1,666Net price$57,742View data - California
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
Grad rate74%Admit rate54.9%Enrollment439Net price$42,607View data - Illinois
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Grad rate67%Admit rate77.5%Enrollment3,394Net price$49,790View data - New York
The Juilliard School
Grad rate91%Admit rate9.2%Enrollment1,073Net price$43,571View data - Massachusetts
The New England Conservatory of Music
Grad rate73%Admit rate41.1%Enrollment853Net price$46,754View data - North Carolina
University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Grad rate78%Admit rate30.0%Enrollment1,111Net price$14,906View data - Pennsylvania
University of the Arts
Grad rate69%Admit rate78.2%Enrollment—Net price$44,154
PCAD Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
- Jason HartzChief of Staff & Director of Institutional Research
Reports & documents (1)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
Grants & funding (1)
Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.
Notable alumni of PCAD (1)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Matt Stawicki
Frequently asked questions about Pennsylvania College of Art and Design
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about PCAD.
What is the graduation rate at Pennsylvania College of Art and Design?
How many students attend Pennsylvania College of Art and Design?
What is the average net price at Pennsylvania College of Art and Design?
What is the yield rate at Pennsylvania College of Art and Design?
Where is Pennsylvania College of Art and 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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