10-yr median earnings
$40,664
Federal aid recipients only
Private Nonprofit · Columbus, Ohio
Columbus College of Art & Design
Columbus College of Art & Design is a private nonprofit institution in Columbus, Ohio. as a private nonprofit, published Scorecard outcomes cover federal-aid recipients at this campus — endowment and sticker price sit outside those cohort fields.
- $40,664
- 10-yr median earnings
- 67.7%
- Acceptance rate
- $29,439
- Avg net price / yr
- 58.5%
- 150%-time completion
The verdict
Columbus College of Art & Design pairs above-median former-student earnings with a moderately open admit.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 50%
- former-student earnings, US
- 67.7%
- acceptance rate
- 58.5%
- 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 Columbus College of Art & Design 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
F
College Value Score
39/100
Columbus College of Art & Design
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 D
$40,664
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price F
$29,439
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate C-
58.5%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$27,000
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment B-
66.9%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention C+
80.3%
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
$29,439
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
58.5%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 58.5%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Columbus College of Art & Design 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 Columbus College of Art & Design 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.
Columbus College of Art & Design: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$40,664 Top 50% higher than 50% 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 | Columbus College of Art & Design | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $40,664 | #2575 of 5103 | 50th |
| Average net price | $29,439 | #4430 of 5020 | 12th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 58.5% | #2334 of 4858 | 52nd |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 882 | #2298 of 5462 | 58th |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
882
Undergraduate enrollment
67.7%
Acceptance rate
-
SAT average
58.5%
150%-time completion
$40,664
10-yr median earnings
80.3%
First-year retention
How Columbus College of Art & Design ranks in Ohio
State rank among 243 reporting Ohio colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Columbus College of Art & Design | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $40,664 | #124 of 243 | 49th |
| Average net price | $29,439 | #207 of 228 | 9th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 58.5% | #125 of 235 | 47th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 882 | #78 of 257 | 70th |
Highest former-student earnings in Ohio
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chamberlain University-Ohio | $92,405 | $31,544 |
| 2 | Case Western Reserve University | $87,989 | $41,190 |
| 3 | Ohio Northern University | $80,928 | $24,478 |
| 4 | Four County Career Center | $77,338 | - |
| 5 | University of Dayton | $75,537 | $29,533 |
| 6 | Mount Carmel College of Nursing | $75,103 | $10,420 |
| 7 | Mount Carmel College of Nursing - Fairfield | $75,103 | - |
| 8 | Kenyon College | $71,830 | $38,512 |
| 9 | Trinity Health System School of Nursing | $71,660 | $9,825 |
| 10 | Firelands Regional Medical Center School of Nursing | $68,723 | - |
| 11 | The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences | $68,303 | $18,378 |
| 12 | Denison University | $67,753 | $40,007 |
| 124 | Columbus College of Art & DesignThis school | $40,664 | $29,439 |
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 67.7% |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Columbus College of Art & Design
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$24,204 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$27,218 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$27,534 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$33,114 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Columbus College of Art & Design - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $40,825 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $40,825 |
| Average Net Price | $29,439 |
39.2%
Pell Grant Rate
69.9%
Federal Loan Rate
$27,000
Median Debt
$286/mo
Monthly Payment
Net price at Columbus College of Art & Design swings rather than trends
Across 11 reported years between 2013 and 2023, the average net price here has ranged from $18,539 to $31,901 without settling into a rise or a fall. Comparing only the first and last years would read as +35.6%, 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
$18,539
Highest year
$31,901
Most recent (2023)
$30,139
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $22,2332023 · $30,139
Over the same years, enrollment went -30.2% (1,277 → 891 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
70.0%
Female
24.6%
First Generation
Outcomes
80.3%
Retention Rate
$30,590
Median Earnings (6yr)
51.1%
Earning Over $25K
66.9%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 58.5% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 80.3% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $30,590 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $40,664 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 51.1% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 66.9% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $27,000 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $286/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 4 | 198 | $39,329 | $48,204 | $27,000 |
| Master's | 1 | 12 | $35,887 | $35,887 | $63,396 |
Top programs at Columbus College of Art & Design by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Design and Applied Arts
Design and Applied Arts
$48,204 median earnings
- Film/Video and Photographi…
Film/Video and Photographic Arts
$43,661 median earnings
- Visual and Performing Arts…
Visual and Performing Arts, General
$35,887 median earnings
- Graphic Communications
Graphic Communications
$33,389 median earnings
- Fine and Studio Arts
Fine and Studio Arts
$32,061 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 | 123 | $48,204 | $27,000 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | Bachelor's | 18 | $43,661 | $27,000 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, General | Master's | 12 | $35,887 | $63,396 |
| Graphic Communications | Bachelor's | 44 | $33,389 | $27,000 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | Bachelor's | 13 | $32,061 | $27,000 |
Nearby Schools
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 Columbus College of Art & Design? ▼
Columbus College of Art & Design is a private nonprofit institution in Columbus, Ohio. The acceptance rate is 67.7%. Undergraduate enrollment is 882 students.
How much do Columbus College of Art & Design former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Columbus College of Art & Design who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $40,664 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $30,590.
How much does Columbus College of Art & Design cost? ▼
The average net price at Columbus College of Art & Design is $29,439. In-state tuition is $40,825 and out-of-state tuition is $40,825. Median student debt at graduation is $27,000.
What is the graduation rate at Columbus College of Art & Design? ▼
Columbus College of Art & Design has a 58.5% 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 80.3%.
Is Columbus College of Art & Design worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Columbus College of Art & Design is $27,000, while former students earn a median of $40,664 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 66% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 66.9% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $286.
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 Columbus College of Art & Design
- Compare Columbus College of Art & Design against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in Ohio side by side.Browse Ohio
- 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.