“One of the oldest private art and design colleges in the U.S., adjacent to the Columbus Museum of Art.”
Columbus College of Art & Design is a private art school in Columbus, Ohio, founded in 1879 as the Columbus Art School. It is one of the oldest private art and design colleges in the United States. Its downtown campus of 11 buildings sits adjacent to the Columbus Museum of Art and enrolls about 900 full-time students.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
Test Optional — You can submit scores if they help your case, but they're not required.
Official SourcePriority Application Deadline
Priority date for full scholarship and housing consideration; rolling thereafter.
FAFSA Priority Deadline
Domestic students; required for full institutional aid consideration.
Rolling Admission
Applications reviewed on a rolling basis until programs fill.
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Tuition & Fees (All Students)
$40,825
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
BFA program training students in 2D, 3D, and stop-motion animation with strong industry placement at major studios.
Houses Illustration and Comics & Narrative Practice — two BFA tracks that produce editorial illustrators, concept artists, and graphic novelists.
Encompasses Graphic Design, Fashion Design, Interior Architecture & Design, and Product Design. Programs emphasize professional practice and client work.
Offers BFA degrees in Fine Arts, Film & Video, Photography, and Game Art & Design — all rooted in CCAD's long-running studio culture.
Two Master of Professional Studies programs (Retail Design and User Experience Design) and a Master of Fine Arts.
4 years
Flagship BFA covering 2D, 3D, and experimental animation. Students build a senior thesis film and graduate to roles at Disney, Pixar, Cartoon Network, DreamWorks, and independent studios.
4 years
Pairs traditional drawing fundamentals with digital workflows, concept art, editorial work, and visual development. Strong feeder into the children's-book, gaming, and entertainment industries.
4 years
Four-year studio-intensive program with industry mentors from Columbus-headquartered apparel houses, ending in a senior fashion show that draws professional recruiters.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $40,825
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
