Founded in 1930 and located in Pasadena, California, ArtCenter College of Design is a global leader in art and design education. With a current enrollment of approximately 2,423 students (57% female and 43% male, representing more than 50 countries), the College has a student/faculty ratio of 8 to 1. ArtCenter offers 11 undergraduate and 10 graduate degrees in a wide array of industrial design, visual and applied arts disciplines, as well as minors for undergraduate students in Business, Creative Writing, Material Science, Research, and Social Innovation. The Industrial Design Program offers a joint MS/MBA in partnership with the Drucker School of Management, and the Integrated Studies department offers a First-Year Immersion program that supports students’ transition to undergraduate-level majors with a specialized two-semester course of study.
In addition to its top-ranked academic programs, the College also serves residents of the Greater Los Angeles region through its ArtCenter Extension programs - a highly regarded series of year-round educational programs for all ages and levels of experience.
ArtCenter is a private nonprofit fully accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). Renowned for both its ties to industry and social impact initiatives, the College is the first design school to receive the United Nations’ Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) status.
Grad Environmental Design/Spatial Experience Design16: 15
Furniture, Lightning, and Fixtures: 11
Grad Graphic Design: 75
Grad Transportation Systems and Design: 25
Interaction Design: 7
Industrial Design: 26
Media Design Practices: 45
Non-Degree: 1
Academic Programs and Distinctions
2021-202217
Bachelor of Fine Arts or Bachelor of Science offered in 11 undergraduate programs. Master of Fine Arts or Master of Science offered in seven graduate programs
Minors offered in Business, Creative Writing, Material Science, Research, and Social Innovation
Joint MS/MBA degree offered in conjunction with Claremont Graduate University’s Drucker School of Management
Included in Graphic Design USA’s 2023 GDUSA Top Graphic Design Schools
Included in The Princeton Review’s 2022 list of the Top 50 Game Design programs
ArtCenter appears in The Hollywood Reporter’s list of 2022's Top 25 Film Schools in America, Variety’s 2022 feature Top 30 Film Schools in North America, MovieMaker’s 40 Best Film Schools in the U.S. & Canada 2022, TheWrap’s Top 50 Film Schools of 2022, UpCity’s 2022 Best Graphic Design Schools that Produce Expert Designers
ArtCenter awarded 2022 School of the Year in The Young Ones Student Awards, a prestigious global advertising, design and digital marketing competition
ArtCenter President Karen Hofmann in Los Angeles Business Journal’s list of LA500 Most Influential People in LA
Intelligent's 2023 rankings include ArtCenter as #5 with the most innovative curriculum in the Top 21 Online Graphic Design Programs, #8 best in the west in the Top 42 Master’s in Graphic Design Degree programs
Best Universities ranked ArtCenter in Top 5 Best Architecture Schools in California
Ranked #1 by Payscale’s Best Undergraduate Art Schools by Salary Potential above all other art and design colleges.
Ranked #1 in Animation Career Review’s 2023 Top 20 Graphic Design School Programs in California
Ranked #3 in Graphic Design (2023) and #15 in Best Fine Arts Program (2020) in U.S. News & World Report’s list of Best Graduate School Rankings
Ranked #5 (top 1%) in Animation Career Review’s 2023 Top Graphic Design Schools and Colleges in the U.S.
Ranked #7 in GradDegree.com’s 2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in California
Ranked among Top 10 Game Design Programs (#9) in California for Animation Career Review’s 2023 College Rankings
Ranked #12 in Animation Career Review’s 2023 Top 50 Animation Schools in the U.S.
Ranked #14 in the QS World University Rankings 2022 according to TopUniversities.com
Ranked #16 in Regional Universities West and #28 in Top Performers on Social Mobility in U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 list
Employment
Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 figures18
93%: Job Placement Rate for Classes of 2020-2021 Bachelor’s (One-Year Out Graduates, 82% Knowledge Rate)
92%: Job Placement Rate for the Classes of 2020-2021 Masters (One-Year Out Graduates, 92% Knowledge Rate)
95%: Percent of Classes of 2020-2021 Bachelor’s Graduates that indicated Post-Graduation Occupation was Related or Very Related to their Program/Area of Study (One-Year Out Graduates, 82% Knowledge Rate)
96%: Percent of the Classes of 2020-2021 Master’s Graduates that indicated Post-Graduation Occupation was Related or Very Related to their Program/Area of Study (One-Year Out Graduates, 92% Knowledge Rate)
$66,500: Median salary for Classes of 2020-2021 Bachelor’s (One-Year Out Graduates, 35% survey response rate)
$100,000: Median salary for Classes of 2020-2021 Master’s (One-Year Out Graduates, 34% survey response rate)18
Post Graduate Studies 19
3% of Bachelor’s recipients from 2020-2021 indicated that they were subsequently enrolled fulltime in graduate level education within one year of graduation (82% Knowledge Rate)
ArtCenter Extension20
Calendar Year (CY) 2022 figures
Year-round open enrollment programs for students of all ages. Courses offered at both campuses and online. ArtCenter Extension consists of four programs: ArtCenter Extension (ACX), ACX Teens (ACT), and ACX Kids (ACK). ACX Teachers (ACD) is currently on hiatus.
Course Enrollment in ArtCenter Extension: 1,848
Many of the same faculty members teach in the College’s degree programs
Staff: 7
Total ACX faculty: 84
ACX-only faculty: 31
Faculty Shared with Degree Program: 33
Course tuition is individually priced
Typical tuition for one course in ACX $830, ACT $300, ACK $300, ACD $760
Scholarship applications: 222
Scholarships awarded: 208
ArtCenter Online20
Calendar Year (CY) 2022 figures
Online, year-round, non-credit, open enrollment program for teens and adults.
Courses offered online only in synchronous and asynchronous modalities.
Course Enrollment in ArtCenter Online: 545
Staff: 13
Total ACO faculty: 4
ACO-only faculty: 2
Faculty Shared with Degree Program: 2
Course tuition is individually priced.
Typical tuition for one online course is: Synchronous $499; Asynchronous for full course: $189; Asynchronous Workshops: $69
Public Galleries21
3 Galleries: Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery, Peter and Merle Mullin Gallery, ArtCenter DTLA
7 exhibitions in CY 2023
Facilities
2022-2023
2 campuses: Hillside and South
162.66 acres
277,126 net sq. feet of academic/instructional facilities
Library
Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 figures
Book volumes: 104,112
DVDs and other cinema: 9,960
Zines : 1,073
Video Games: 282
Current periodical subscriptions: 427
Research, Image, Video, and Training Databases: 46
Gate count (i.e. Number of people who walk in the Library): 13,437
Research/Reference questions: 349
Instructional sessions: 51
Total attendance in instructional sessions: 306
Undergraduates Students by Gender23
Fall 2022
Male: 42%
Female: 58%
Another: 0%
Graduate Students by Gender23
Fall 2022
Male: 47%
Female: 53%
Another: 0%
All Students by Gender23
Fall 2022
Male: 43%
Female: 57%
Another: 0%
Undergraduate Students by Ethnicity23
Fall 2022
International: 44%
Hispanic/Latino: 10%
American Indian/Alaska Native: 0%
Asian: 30%
Black/African American: 1%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
White: 11%
Two or more races: 4%
Unknown/Undeclared: 0%
Graduate Students by Ethnicity23
Fall 2022
International: 62%
Hispanic/Latino: 5%
American Indian/Alaska Native: 0%
Asian: 9%
Black/African American: 4%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
White: 18%
Two or more races: 2%
Unknown/Undeclared: 0%
All Students by Ethnicity23
Fall 2022
International: 46%
Hispanic/Latino: 9%
American Indian/Alaska Native: 0%
Asian: 28%
Black/African American: 1%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
White: 11%
Two or more races: 4%
Unknown/Undeclared: 0%
Faculty by Gender23
Fall 2022
Full-Time
Male: 66%
Female: 34%
Another: 0%
Part-Time
Male: 71%
Female: 28%
Another: 0%
Faculty by Ethnicity23
Fall 2022
Full-Time
International: 1%
Hispanic/Latino: 13%
American Indian/Alaska Native: 1%
Asian: 11%
Black/African American: 4%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
White: 67%
Two or more races: 3%
Unknown/Undeclared: 0%
Part-Time
International: 2%
Hispanic/Latino: 9%
American Indian/Alaska Native: 0%
Asian: 15%
Black/African American: 3%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 1%
White: 66%
Two or more races: 2%
Unknown/Undeclared: 3%
All Staff by Gender23
Fall 2022
Male: 53%
Female: 47%
Another: 0%
All Staff by Ethnicity23
Fall 2022
International: 1%
Hispanic/Latino: 25%
American Indian/Alaska Native: 1%
Asian: 17%
Black/African American: 5%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
White: 49%
Two or more races: 1%
Unknown/Undeclared: 1%
Executive Management24
7 in 2022-2023
Male: 63%
Female: 37%
Another: 0%
Executive Management by Ethnicity24
Fall 2022
International: 0%
Hispanic/Latino: 0%
American Indian/Alaska Native: 0%
Asian: 13%
Black/African American: 13%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
White: 75%
Two or more races: 0%
Unknown/Undeclared: 0%
Trustees
26 in 2021-2022
Male: 69%
Female: 31%
Another: 0%
Trustees by Ethnicity
Fall 2022
International: 0%
Hispanic/Latino: 4%
American Indian/Alaska Native: 0%
Asian: 4%
Black/African American: 15%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
White: 73%
Two or more races: 0%
Unknown/Undeclared: 4%
1 Acceptance Rate = Total Accepted Students/Total Applications (including incomplete applications) (note: this differs from IPEDS).
2 SATs are optional and only recorded for students who submitted scores.
3 CY = Calendar Year
4 Data as reported to IPEDS. Differs from internal institutional reports.
7 First-Time Freshmen and New Transfers are coded according to IPEDS definitions.
8 Part-time faculty who do not teach courses but who may serve as advisors in particular programs are included in count.
9 Total aid processed by Financial Aid. This model historically uses Calendar Year 1/1-12/31.
10 Percentage = number of students with need/number of students receiving financial aid in Calendar Year.
11 Percentage = students receiving financial aid/unduplicated enrollment count from Enrollment Services in Calendar Year.
12 Percentage = students receiving ArtCenter scholarship in Calendar Year/unduplicated enrollment count from Enrollment Services
13 Average Institutional scholarship received in Fall 2021 term. For CY21 average aid per term was used.
14 Pell Grant reported to IPEDS uses Fall 2021 data. Category sourced from IPEDS reporting.
15 Advertising became Creative Direction and Undergraduate Environmental Design became Spatial Experience Design in Spring 2022. First Year Immersion was launched in 2022.Students matriculate into a degree program after completing first year.
16 Graduate Environmental Design was split into two programs and renamed Graduate Spatial Experience Design and Graduate Furniture, Lighting and Fixtures in 2022
17 Rankings include what is currently available to the public.
18 Data from the College’s annual Graduate Employment Survey distributed to One-Year Out Graduates and Knowledge Rate internet research (graduates from the classes of Fall 2020, Spring 2021, and Summer 2021). Job Placement Rates are calculated using the following selections from the survey responses: graduates who indicated a primary status of “Working full-time”, “Working part-time”, or “Enrolled in additional education” one-year post-graduation.
19 Data from the College’s annual Graduate Employment Survey distributed to One-Year Out Graduates and Knowledge Rate internet research (graduates from the classes of Fall 2020, Spring 2021, and Summer 2021). Post-Graduation Studies is calculated using the following selections from the survey responses: graduates indicating they were “Enrolling in additional education” one-year post-graduation (not necessarily their primary status).
20 ArtCenter Extension was rebranded as ArtCenter Extension and Online in CY 2021.
21 Prior to 2021, data was reported for all ArtCenter Galleries and exhibition spaces.
22 A zine is a small-edition, self-published work of original or appropriated texts, comics, collages, stories and/or images, usually reproduced via photocopier or risograph.
23 All ethnicities and gender reflect IPEDS definitions.
24 Senior Vice President of Development is temporarily replaced by Acting Senior Vice President, Development. Provost is temporarily replaced by Interim Provost. We have two individuals in this interim position: Co-Vice President, Marketing and Communications.