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Is Northwest College of Art & Design worth it?
A first pass affordability and outcome read for Northwest College of Art & Design, using national average inputs. Run your own numbers for a personalized score.
Worth-It Score
Heavy lift
Northwest College of Art & Design lands in the heavy lift band for a typical family. The combination of $25,900 in yearly net price and $24,163 in median debt asks a lot relative to median earnings of $39,289. For context, Northwest College of Art & Design's net price is about 21% below the typical 4-year, private for-profit school. This does not make the school wrong for every student, but it does mean the price deserves a closer test.
Is the price fair?
Compared to 186 similar 4-year, private for-profit schools
This school
$20,185
/yrAverage school like this
$25,582
/yrThis helps your Worth-It Score
You'd pay about $5,397 less per year than the typical student at a similar school. Over 4 years that's roughly $22,000 in savings.
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
$25,900
Median earnings 10 years out
$39,289
Median debt at graduation
$24,163
Graduation rate
51%
At Northwest College of Art & Design, a typical graduate carries about $24,163 in student debt and earns roughly $39,289 ten years after enrolling. On a standard 10-year repayment plan, that works out to about $275 per month, or 8% of pre-tax income. That sits at the tighter end of a workable borrower range.
How earnings compare to a high school diploma
Graduates earn $4,262 more than the typical working high school graduate in Washington ($35,027) ten years after entering this school. A federal rule finalized in July 2026 ties each undergraduate program's federal loan eligibility to a comparison like this one, with the first calculations expected in 2027.
The national figure is $31,269. The Department of Education uses it instead of the state figure when fewer than half of a school's students come from its state.
59% of former students here earned more than the typical high school graduate ten years after entry, by College Scorecard's own measure.
Context, not a federal determination. The benchmarks are the Department of Education's published thresholds (2024 notice, based on 2022 Census data); thresholds under the 2026 rule have not been released yet. The official test looks at each program's graduates four years after completion; our figure is College Scorecard's median for the whole school, ten years after entry. How this works
Program earnings vs. the federal benchmark
Median earnings of working graduates four years after finishing each undergraduate program, next to the benchmark the federal earnings test uses: the typical working high school graduate aged 25–34 in Washington ($35,027).
Design and Applied Arts
Bachelor's degree · 26 working graduates counted
$35,885
$858 above the benchmark
An estimate, not an official determination. Under a federal rule taking effect July 1, 2027, programs below this benchmark in official results may face limits on federal student loans; Pell Grants are not affected. The official test uses finer program categories, different graduating classes and the Department's own records; its first results are expected in 2027. Programs that train for tipped jobs, such as cosmetology and massage, won't be rated on 2025 earnings, and the Department decides which programs qualify. Earnings: College Scorecard field-of-study data (released Oct 15, 2026). Benchmark: Department of Education published thresholds (2024 notice).
Represent Northwest College of Art & Design and think a figure here is wrong? Request a correction and we'll check it against the latest College Scorecard release.
What this means for your family
Northwest College of Art & Design is a private for-profit school in Tacoma, WA. In this category, families usually need to look especially hard at debt, repayment room, and whether the long-run earnings picture justifies the price.
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Worth-It Score: 55/100
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Private for-profit 4-year
Provo
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Nossi College of Art and Design
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Worth-It Score: 21/100
Median net price: $24,518
Common questions about Northwest College of Art & Design
The median net price at Northwest College of Art & Design is $25,900 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.
Looking at for-profit colleges options in Washington? See the most affordable for-profit colleges in Washington →
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 →
What families actually paid
The published price is rarely what anyone pays. Pick a household income range to see what students at Northwest College of Art & Design in that range paid on average, after grants and scholarships.
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All students who received aid
$25,900a year, on average
Average for first-time, full-time students who received federal financial aid, 2024-25. It does not include transfer or part-time students, and it is an average rather than a quote — what you pay depends on your own circumstances and the aid this school offers you. Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS.
Now work out how to pay for it, cheapest money first.
A Worth-It Score tells you whether the price is justified. The 2026-27 funding guide covers the borrowing order, what changed on July 1, 2026, and the current limits.
Open the 2026-27 funding guide →