California College of the Arts

San Francisco, CA 1,004 Undergrads 72.1% Grad Rate

School Website|Financial Calculator

Total Cost

$78,664

Sticker Price

Avg Net Price

$42,168

After Aid

Median Earnings

$49,414

10yr Post-Entry

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$42,168

Peer Midpoint: $19,729.5

Earnings (10yr)$49,414

Peer Midpoint: $53,747

Graduation Rate72.1%

Peer Midpoint: 58.5%

Socio-Economic Diversity

Pell Grant Recipients24.2%

Enrollment Status

Full-Time93.0%

Economic Outcomes

Earn More than HS57.0%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance

73.4%

SAT Avg

SAT Reading

25th: --75th: -

SAT Math

25th: --75th: -

ACT Composite

25th: --75th: -

ROI Sensitivity Analysis

This analysis tests three cost scenarios (Scholarship, Average Net Price, Full Sticker Price) to show how college costs impact your long-term return compared to the average student and a high school graduate.

Lifetime Value Added (NPV)

Institution Lifetime NPV

Vs Median Peer

Vs HS Grad

Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0

+$433k

+$36k

-$52k

Median Cost$42k/yr

+$281k

-$116k

-$204k

Full Cost$79k/yr

+$149k

-$247k

-$335k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age

Return on Inv. %

Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0

Never

-∞

Median Cost$42k/yr

Never

-134%

Full Cost$79k/yr

Never

-118%

Analysis Assumptions:

Starting Salary: Estimated from the 10-year median earnings (assuming 2% annual growth from graduation).
Comparisons: "Vs Median Peer" compares to the median student nationwide in a similar level program. "Vs HS Grad" compares to a median high school graduate.
Break-Even: The age at which the college investment net income exceeds the median high school graduate's lifetime earnings.
NPV: Net Present Value of all future earnings minus costs and taxes, discounted at 7.8%.

Social Impact ROINew

Measures the societal return on a donor's investment. Calculated as the incremental pre-tax lifetime earnings vs. HS grad, divided by the tax-adjusted donation cost.

Donor Return-125%

Gov. Pell Grant ROINew

Measures the government's return on Pell Grants via increased tax revenue. Calculated as the portion of incremental lifetime taxes (discounted at 5.4%) attributed to the Pell Grant investment.

Taxpayer Return-98%

Important Note: Your ROI with any major will depend on the cost you pay to attend the program, and your starting salary. Both vary significantly across institutions. We encourage you to explore the ROI of a specific program variant by selecting the Program title of the credential level you are interested in. You will then have a more detailed return analysis for programs at specific institutions. We also encourage you to use the ROI calculator with your specific estimates of cost and salary.

Program ROI Analysis

Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management

MastCIP: 5010

Median Debt

Earnings (5yr)

$140,876

Lifetime Value Added

+$710k

Design and Applied Arts

MastCIP: 5004

Median Debt

Earnings (2yr)

$86,129

Lifetime Value Added

+$288k

Fine and Studio Arts

MastCIP: 5007

Median Debt

$51,870

Earnings (5yr)

$54,366

Lifetime Value Added

-$36k

Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies

MastCIP: 2313

Median Debt

Earnings (2yr)

$35,060

Lifetime Value Added

-$201k

Note: Lifetime Value Added is the Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median high school graduate, accounting for this institution's average cost and taxes. Computed over a career to retirement age.

For graduate programs (Master's, Doctoral, etc.), the calculation assumes a starting age of 22 (after undergraduate completion) and does not include the sunk costs of prior degrees. It represents the value added of the graduate degree decision moving forward. These Lifetime Value Added results should not be compared with those Undergraduate Certificates, Associates or Bachelors starting at age 18.