ShareYourGroupShareYourGroupUS Colleges

Pennsylvania College of Art and Design: cost, admission and results

Pennsylvania College of Art and Design is a private nonprofit college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It has about 400 undergraduate students. It admits 99% of applicants. The average net price for students with federal aid is $33,456 a year.

At a glance

  • 99%Admission rate
  • $33,456Net price a year
  • 69%Graduation rate
  • $36,746Median earnings, 10 years on
Location
Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17603
Type
Private nonprofit
Degrees
Mostly bachelor's degrees (four-year)
Setting
Small city
Undergraduate students
400
Students per teacher
10 to 1
Accredited by
National Association of Schools of Arts and Design
Website
pcad.edu

Getting in

Pennsylvania College of Art and Design admits 99% of those who apply, which makes it open to most applicants. The median admission rate of colleges on this site that report one is 77%.

What it costs

Tuition and fees for a year$33,309
Room and meals on campus$18,044
Books and supplies$1,650
Average full cost of a year (tuition, living, books), before aid$49,050
Average net price after grants and scholarships$33,456

The net price is what students who got federal aid paid on average for a year after grants and scholarships were taken off. It is 56% above the median net price of colleges in Pennsylvania on this site ($21,445). International students normally pay the published tuition and do not receive US federal aid.

Net price by family income

Family income a yearAverage net price
Up to $30,000$26,342
$30,001 to $48,000$27,919
$48,001 to $75,000$30,676
$75,001 to $110,000$33,861
Above $110,000$43,046

For students who received federal aid. A negative figure means grants were larger than the cost counted.

For an estimate that fits your own family, use the college's net price calculator.

Results

MeasureThis collegePA medianUS median
Students who come back for a second year85%78%73%
Students who finish their degree (within one and a half times the normal length)69%57%49%
Median earnings 10 years after starting$36,746$62,618$53,132
Median federal loan debt of those who finish$27,000$24,500$19,994

Medians are the middle value of the colleges on this site in Pennsylvania and in the whole country. Completion and return rates count first-time, full-time students. Earnings and debt count students who received federal aid.

The students

51% of undergraduates receive a Pell Grant, the federal grant for students from lower-income families. 78% take a federal student loan. The undergraduate body is 68% women and 32% men. By undergraduate numbers it is number 130 of the 154 colleges in Pennsylvania on this site that report a size; the middle-sized one has 1,488.

Other colleges in Pennsylvania of a similar size

Common questions

What is the acceptance rate of Pennsylvania College of Art and Design?

Pennsylvania College of Art and Design admits 99% of applicants, according to the College Scorecard.

How much is tuition at Pennsylvania College of Art and Design?

Published tuition and fees are $33,309 a year. Most students with aid pay less: see the net price.

What is the graduation rate of Pennsylvania College of Art and Design?

69% of first-time, full-time students finish within one and a half times the normal length of the course.

Source: College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education, data released on 2 November 2026; checked in November 2026. Net price, debt and earnings describe students who received US federal aid. Costs change each year. This is official data for general information, not advice: confirm costs and admission rules on the college's own website and at collegescorecard.ed.gov.

All colleges in Pennsylvania How to read these figures