Home / Worth-It Scores / California / California College of the Arts
Is California College of the Arts worth it?
A first pass affordability and outcome read for California College of the Arts, using national average inputs. Run your own numbers for a personalized score.
Worth-It Score
Heavy lift
California College of the Arts lands in the heavy lift band for a typical family. The combination of $53,909 in yearly net price and $27,000 in median debt asks a lot relative to median earnings of $49,414. This does not make the school wrong for every student, but it does mean the price deserves a closer test.
Score breakdown
The public version of the score weighs affordability, after graduation outcomes, and repayment burden.
Affordability
40% weight
The yearly net price is doing real work against the score and raises the financing burden quickly.
Outcome
40% weight
The outcome data does not create enough margin to fully offset the cost.
Repayment
20% weight
Median debt stays in a more comfortable repayment range for a typical graduate.
The numbers behind the score
Median net price per year
$53,909
Median earnings 10 years out
$49,414
Median debt at graduation
$27,000
Graduation rate
62%
At California College of the Arts, a typical graduate carries about $27,000 in student debt and earns roughly $49,414 ten years after enrolling. On a standard 10-year repayment plan, that works out to about $307 per month, or 7% of pre-tax income. That sits inside a borrower comfort range for many graduates.
What this means for your family
California College of the Arts is a private nonprofit four year school in San Francisco, CA. Private pricing can swing more dramatically based on aid, so your personalized score matters more here than the national average view alone.
Similar schools worth comparing
These schools share a similar sector, geography, or price range.
Private nonprofit 4-year
Art Center College of Design
Pasadena, CA
Worth-It Score: 50/100
Median net price: $48,661
Private nonprofit 4-year
California Institute of the Arts
Valencia, CA
Worth-It Score: 31/100
Median net price: $46,080
Private nonprofit 4-year
Beacon
Leesburg, FL
Worth-It Score: 23/100
Median net price: $53,517
Private nonprofit 4-year
Berklee College of Music
Boston, MA
Worth-It Score: 29/100
Median net price: $49,465
Private nonprofit 4-year
American
Washington, DC
Worth-It Score: 60/100
Median net price: $41,943
Common questions about California College of the Arts
The median net price at California College of the Arts is $53,909 per year. That is the average yearly price after typical grant aid for students in the public federal data, not the published sticker price.
Get your personalized Worth-It score
National averages are a starting point. Plug in your actual aid offer, intended major, and family situation to get a score that reflects your specific picture.
The Worth-It Score weighs affordability (40%), after graduation outcomes (40%), and repayment burden (20%). Underlying data points come from publicly available federal higher education reporting. See full methodology →