10-yr median earnings
$44,860
Federal aid recipients only
Private Nonprofit · Detroit, Michigan
College for Creative Studies
College for Creative Studies is a private nonprofit institution in Detroit, Michigan. as a private nonprofit, published Scorecard outcomes cover federal-aid recipients at this campus — endowment and sticker price sit outside those cohort fields.
- $44,860
- 10-yr median earnings
- 91.9%
- Acceptance rate
- $34,617
- Avg net price / yr
- 70.1%
- 150%-time completion
The verdict
College for Creative Studies pairs above-median former-student earnings with open admission.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 40%
- former-student earnings, US
- 91.9%
- acceptance rate
- 70.1%
- 150%-time completion
- +33%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Large
Carnegie: Special Focus (4yr)
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this College for Creative Studies profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Special Focus Four-Year: Arts, Music & Design Schools"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
D
College Value Score
45/100
College for Creative Studies
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings C
$44,860
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price F
$34,617
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate B
70.1%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$26,000
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment B-
68.5%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention B-
82.2%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$34,617
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
70.1%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 70.1%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - College for Creative Studies vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How College for Creative Studies ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
College for Creative Studies: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$44,860 Top 40% higher than 60% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | College for Creative Studies | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $44,860 | #2030 of 5103 | 60th |
| Average net price | $34,617 | #4723 of 5020 | 6th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 70.1% | #1408 of 4858 | 71st |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,230 | #1960 of 5462 | 64th |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
1,230
Undergraduate enrollment
91.9%
Acceptance rate
-
SAT average
70.1%
150%-time completion
$44,860
10-yr median earnings
82.2%
First-year retention
How College for Creative Studies ranks in Michigan
State rank among 145 reporting Michigan colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | College for Creative Studies | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $44,860 | #48 of 145 | 67th |
| Average net price | $34,617 | #136 of 138 | 1st (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 70.1% | #33 of 132 | 75th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,230 | #50 of 149 | 66th |
Highest former-student earnings in Michigan
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kettering University | $94,823 | $34,660 |
| 2 | Chamberlain University-Michigan | $92,405 | $28,045 |
| 3 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | $83,648 | $13,138 |
| 4 | Michigan Technological University | $78,198 | $14,182 |
| 5 | Walsh College | $72,081 | - |
| 6 | University of Detroit Mercy | $71,030 | $15,232 |
| 7 | Lawrence Technological University | $69,151 | $32,918 |
| 8 | Michigan State University | $67,253 | $19,680 |
| 9 | Kalamazoo College | $65,590 | $19,072 |
| 10 | Thomas M Cooley Law School | $63,450 | - |
| 11 | Northwood University | $63,075 | $27,232 |
| 12 | Universal Technical Institute-Canton | $62,575 | $22,985 |
| 48 | College for Creative StudiesThis school | $44,860 | $34,617 |
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 91.9% |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at College for Creative Studies
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$30,267 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$33,152 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$33,647 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$38,580 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at College for Creative Studies - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $53,350 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $53,350 |
| Average Net Price | $34,617 |
30.0%
Pell Grant Rate
52.5%
Federal Loan Rate
$26,000
Median Debt
$276/mo
Monthly Payment
Net price at College for Creative Studies swings rather than trends
Across 11 reported years between 2013 and 2023, the average net price here has ranged from $33,002 to $37,745 without settling into a rise or a fall. Comparing only the first and last years would read as -1.4%, but the years in between do not follow that line, so the honest summary is the range rather than a trend. Budget against the upper end, not the average.
Lowest year
$33,002
Highest year
$37,745
Most recent (2023)
$33,342
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $33,8082023 · $33,342
Over the same years, enrollment went -5.0% (1,352 → 1,285 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
56.6%
Female
22.8%
First Generation
Outcomes
82.2%
Retention Rate
$33,691
Median Earnings (6yr)
64.2%
Earning Over $25K
68.5%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 70.1% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 82.2% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $33,691 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $44,860 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 64.2% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 68.5% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $26,000 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $276/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Top programs at College for Creative Studies by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Design and Applied Arts
Design and Applied Arts
$61,222 median earnings
- Crafts/Craft Design, Folk …
Crafts/Craft Design, Folk Art and Artisanry
$41,739 median earnings
- Film/Video and Photographi…
Film/Video and Photographic Arts
$35,797 median earnings
- Graphic Communications
Graphic Communications
$34,003 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
| Program | Credential | Completers | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design and Applied Arts | Bachelor's | 86 | $61,222 | $26,000 |
| Crafts/Craft Design, Folk Art and Artisanry | Bachelor's | 9 | $41,739 | $30,620 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | Bachelor's | 13 | $35,797 | $27,000 |
| Graphic Communications | Bachelor's | 72 | $34,003 | $27,000 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | Bachelor's | 10 | - | - |
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Independent Scorecard matches among reporting colleges — not recommendations from the institution or a counselor.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Private Nonprofit institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Private Nonprofit institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at College for Creative Studies? ▼
College for Creative Studies is a private nonprofit institution in Detroit, Michigan. The acceptance rate is 91.9%. Undergraduate enrollment is 1,230 students.
How much do College for Creative Studies former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at College for Creative Studies who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $44,860 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $33,691.
How much does College for Creative Studies cost? ▼
The average net price at College for Creative Studies is $34,617. In-state tuition is $53,350 and out-of-state tuition is $53,350. Median student debt at graduation is $26,000.
What is the graduation rate at College for Creative Studies? ▼
College for Creative Studies has a 70.1% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 82.2%.
Is College for Creative Studies worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at College for Creative Studies is $26,000, while former students earn a median of $44,860 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 58% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 68.5% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $276.
Sources & methodology
Private-nonprofit profiles emphasize Scorecard cost-after-aid and completion alongside IPEDS Carnegie class. Endowment, gifts, and sticker price are not Scorecard fields on this page.
Figures are the Mar–Jul 2026 federal retrievals. Nonprofit campuses vary widely in aid practice — net price here is the Title-IV-recipient cohort average, not an individual award letter. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from College for Creative Studies
- Compare College for Creative Studies against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in Michigan side by side.Browse Michigan
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Nonprofit Scorecard medians describe federal-aid recipients who were working and not enrolled — they are not sticker-price ROI and not advice.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Private-nonprofit profiles compile Scorecard net-price and earnings cohorts with IPEDS structure fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.