BaccalaureatePrivate (for-profit)

Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design

Lakewood, Colorado·Private for-profit, 4-year or above·Rocky Mountains·rmcad.edu
6-yr Graduation
32%
-4.5pp vs Baccalaureate
Total enrollment
2,061
peer median 1,573
Avg net price
$32,363
+$1.9k vs Baccalaureate
Use this data
Ask Clema
OutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsCampus safetyFacultyPeers

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

IPEDS
Overall completion
32%-4.5pp vs Baccalaureate
4-year graduation
24%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
32%
Full-time retention
54%

Pell equity

29.5pp gap
Pell recipients
18%8 of 45
Non-Pell (all)
48%19 of 40
Subsidized loan, no Pell
47%9 of 19
No Federal Aid
48%10 of 21

Non-Pell students graduate at a 29.5-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.

FVT/GE

Of 10 Title IV programs, 3 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 7 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
10
Passing
3
30.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

10programs
  • Passing3 · 30.0%
  • No Data7 · 70.0%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
1
Safe
1
No data
7

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
Graphic Communications
Bachelor Degree · Communications Technologies/Technicians And Support Services
+7.0%
$37,239 vs $34,808
Design and Applied Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+19.6%
$41,617 vs $34,808
Computer Software and Media Applications
Bachelor Degree · Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
+39.3%
$48,472 vs $34,808

Debt vs earnings

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

3
Design and Applied Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
90%
$37,292 debt · $41,617 earn
Graphic Communications
Bachelor Degree · Communications Technologies/Technicians And Support Services
83%
$31,000 debt · $37,239 earn
Computer Software and Media Applications
Bachelor Degree · Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
76%
$36,749 debt · $48,472 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

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

Accredited since 2003Next review Jun 2029
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 2000Next review Aug 2035

Programmatic accreditations · 1

Action history · 3

  1. Jun 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  2. May 2020Renewal of Accreditation
    National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation
  3. Aug 2014Change in Agency recognition
    National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation · Art and Design (ART) - Degree-granting schools and departments and non-degree-granting programs

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$29,847
$30–48k$29,351
$48–75k$32,387
$75–110k$36,040
$110k+$36,201

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

Avg net price (private)
$32,363
+$1,921vs Baccalaureate median $30,443
Federal loans
60.0%
In-state tuition
$20,190
Out-of-state
$20,190

Federal aid volume & trends

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

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 2,079 students received $10.0M in Pell grants, alongside $24.5M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
2,079
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$10.0M
$10,045,809 total
Direct Loans
$24.5M
4,052 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
’20
1k
’21
1k
’22
1k
’23
2k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$8.7M
1,882 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$11.3M
1,941 loan awards
Parent PLUS$4.5M
229 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.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 401 borrowers who entered repayment, 14 (3.4%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
3.4%
+1.1pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
401
Defaulted
14
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
15.9%
2017
14.8%
2018
10.4%
2019
3.4%
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 RMCAD

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs14
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

356 total completions
01Visual/Performing Arts
25070.2%
02Comm. Technologies
6418.0%
03Computer Sciences
298.1%
04Education
133.7%
05Liberal Arts
00.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

IPEDS
Fall total
2,061
12-mo unduplicated
3,431
Undergraduate
3,431
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
24%831
Women
76%2,600

Race / ethnicity composition

White
53.6%
Hispanic
16.1%
Black
14.1%
Two or more
5.7%
Unknown
5.7%
Asian
2.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native
1.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%
Non-resident
0.1%

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 1,888 students

3-year trend

1.082 yrs ago0.491 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
3
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

No criminal offenses reported.

By location

0total

    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
    Drugs00
    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.

    IPEDS
    Student-to-faculty
    13.0:1
    Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
    60

    RMCAD vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions RMCAD selected for federal comparison reporting.

    IPEDS
    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
    SubjectRocky Mountain College of Art and Design
    		32%—2,061$32,363Baccalaureate
    Berkeley College-New York
    		44%—2,156$34,124Baccalaureate
    DigiPen Institute of Technology
    		61%64.4%1,084$44,446Baccalaureate
    The College of Westchester
    		41%94.4%759$16,296Baccalaureate
    University of Advancing Technology
    		27%98.1%933$28,522Baccalaureate
    Rasmussen University-Florida
    		0%—3,121$21,909Baccalaureate
    Peer group median37%94.4%1,573$30,443

    Institutions like RMCAD

    Explore the federal data for institutions in RMCAD's comparison group.

    IPEDS

    Frequently asked questions about Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about RMCAD.

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

    Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design reports a 6-year graduation rate of 32% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design?

    Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design reports a total enrollment of 2,061 students per the latest IPEDS.

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

    The average net price at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design is $32,363 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    Where is Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design located?

    Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design is located in Lakewood, Colorado 80214.

    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.

    IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
    Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
    National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
    College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
    Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
    U.S. Department of Education
    FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
    Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
    U.S. Department of Education
    DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
    Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
    Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
    Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
    Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
    Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
    Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

    Have a question this page can’t answer?

    Ask Clema anything about Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design and its peers — plain language in, cited answers out, in minutes instead of days.

    Try for freeBook a demo

    Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card