---
title: Art Center College of Design — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Pasadena, CA
control: Private nonprofit
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Art Center College of Design

Pasadena, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $71,958 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $28,421 – $125,307 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $26,000 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $13,125 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 79% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $75,649 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 69% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.36× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $43,958 | derived |

**79% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $26,000 (≈ 36% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $17,249 to $63,126 across 8 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Graphic Communications. | Bachelor's Degree | $63,126 | $37,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $60,973 | $50,250 |
| Engineering-Related Fields. | Bachelor's Degree | $58,061 | $35,636 |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology. | Bachelor's Degree | $53,380 | not reported |
| Design and Applied Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $40,017 | $31,000 |
| Fine and Studio Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,536 | not reported |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $21,685 | $28,750 |
| Fine and Studio Arts. | Master's Degree | $17,249 | not reported |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Art Center College of Design by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?109651

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/art-center-college-of-design-ca.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`