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
$28,037
+$5.0k vs Baccalaureate
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Graduation rate & outcomes

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

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

Pell equity

29.0pp gap
Pell recipients
18%
Non-Pell
47%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 29.0-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 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.

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.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$23,444
$30–48k$26,409
$48–75k$28,579
$75–110k$31,693
$110k+$32,376

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

Avg net price (private)
$28,037
+$5,014vs Baccalaureate median $23,023
Federal loans
60.3%
In-state tuition
$23,720
Out-of-state
$23,720

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 1,944 students received $9.3M in Pell grants, alongside $18.7M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,944
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$9.3M
$9,301,663 total
Direct Loans
$18.7M
3,779 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$6.6M
1,754 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$8.7M
1,822 loan awards
Parent PLUS$3.3M
203 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 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.

Distinct CIP programs13
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

265 total completions
01Visual/Performing Arts
18569.8%
02Comm. Technologies
4617.4%
03Computer Sciences
249.1%
04Education
103.8%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
2,061
12-mo unduplicated
2,955
Undergraduate
2,955
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
25%740
Women
75%2,215

Race / ethnicity composition

White
56.3%
Hispanic
14.1%
Black
11.0%
Unknown
9.2%
Two or more
4.0%
Asian
3.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native
1.6%
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.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.49
1 offenses · 2,050 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago1.081 yr ago0.49Latest
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

Burglary
1

By location

1total
  • On campus1

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.

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.

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$28,037Baccalaureate
Berkeley College-New York
44%2,156$25,133Baccalaureate
DigiPen Institute of Technology
61%64.4%1,084$42,033Baccalaureate
The College of Westchester
41%94.4%759$11,669Baccalaureate
University of Advancing Technology
27%98.1%933$20,913Baccalaureate
Rasmussen University-Florida
0%3,121$19,113Baccalaureate
Peer group median37%94.4%1,573$23,023

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 $28,037 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.

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