California College of the Arts
San Francisco, California · Private, nonprofit
Graduate earnings
have graduates earning more than a typical California high-school graduate (about $36,976 a year). 1 falls short.
4 of 11 undergraduate programs could be assessed. The other 7: 5 with no earnings published and 2 with nothing reported. The 10 graduate programs are in the table.
Average net price, all families$53,909 a year By family income
What it would cost
Net price is the yearly cost after grants and scholarships, as reported for students who received federal aid.
Average for all families
$53,909 a year
About $215,636 over 4 years, if price and aid stay the same.
This multiplies the reported yearly net price by the years you choose. It is not a quote or a prediction: it leaves out interest, price rises and the chance of taking longer to finish.
Net price for every income band
| Family income | Net price per year |
|---|---|
| Under $30k | $61,407 |
| $30k to $48k | $43,261 |
| $48k to $75k | $45,378 |
| $75k to $110k | $46,060 |
| $110k and up | $56,394 |
| All families (average) | $53,909 |
College Scorecard, release 2026-06-10. Bands with no figure were not reported by the school.
Program earnings
Median earnings of each program’s graduates against a typical California high-school graduate ($36,976 a year).
7 of 21 programs could be assessed 33% have an earnings verdict
| Program | Degree | Median earnings | vs a high-school grad | Verdict | Median debt | Debt as years of gain | Recent completers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design | Bachelor's Degree | $59,238 | +$22,262 | clears the bar | $27,000 | 1.2 yrs | 84 |
| Graphic Communications | Bachelor's Degree | $31,068 | -$5,908 | falls short | $26,899 | no earnings gain | 46 |
| Fine Arts | Bachelor's Degree | $44,012 | +$7,036 | clears the bar | $27,000 | 3.8 yrs | 45 |
| Fine Arts | Master's Degree | $57,717 | +$20,741 | above HS line | $51,870 | 2.5 yrs | 30 |
| Human Computer Interaction | Bachelor's Degree | $149,149 | +$112,173 | clears the bar | $27,125 | 0.2 yrs | 29 |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | Master's Degree | $76,3811-year earnings | +$39,405 | above HS line (1-yr) | $67,940 | 1.7 yrs | 18 |
| Business Administration | Master's Degree | $157,122 | +$120,146 | above HS line | $81,257 | 0.7 yrs | 10 |
| Human Computer Interaction | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 56 |
| Design | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 36 |
| Computer Software and Media Applications | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 29 |
| Film and Photography | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 26 |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 15 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 12 |
| Film and Photography | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 11 |
| Graphic Communications | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 9 |
| Woodworking | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| Museology/Museum Studies | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Architecture | Bachelor's Degree | not reported | not reported | nothing reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Architecture | Master's Degree | not reported | not reported | nothing reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Crafts/Craft Design, Folk Art and Artisanry | Bachelor's Degree | not reported | not reported | nothing reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
Sources and definitions
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, release 2026-06-10. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid. Debt is federal loans only.
- The high-school line is ED’s state benchmark, $36,976 a year.
- Earnings not published: ED reports the program but no earnings figure, usually because too few graduates were measured. Nothing reported: ED lists the program with no figures at all. Neither is a judgement of the program.
- Debt as years of gain is median federal debt divided by how much more graduates earn per year than a typical high-school graduate. It is not a repayment time.
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