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

Pennsylvania College of Art and Design's acceptance rate is approximately 99% (Lancaster, PA), based on the most recent figures we compiled from public and primary sources.

How much does Pennsylvania College of Art and Design cost?

At Pennsylvania College of Art and Design, the average net price (after aid) is about $30,083 per year. Actual cost varies with financial aid and residency.

How many undergraduates attend Pennsylvania College of Art and Design?

Pennsylvania College of Art and Design enrolls approximately 400 undergraduate students.

Where is Pennsylvania College of Art and Design located?

Pennsylvania College of Art and Design is located in Lancaster, PA.

Pennsylvania College of Art and Design: Acceptance Rate, SAT & Cost — QuantAdmit

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Pennsylvania College of Art and Design

Lancaster, PAprivate nonprofitpcad.edu/

Acceptance

99%

Avg net price

$30,083

Earnings (10 yr)

$33,301

Graduation rate

69%

Admit rate has ranged 43%–51% over the last 5 years. Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute.

Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.

Pennsylvania College of Art & Design (PCA&D) is a small, fiercely creative incubator in Lancaster, PA, where nearly everyone gets in (99% acceptance rate) but only the dedicated thrive (58% graduation rate). With an intimate 9:1 student-faculty ratio and a curriculum laser-focused on studio practice, PCA&D molds artists and designers who earn $36,427 on average within a year of graduation—decent returns for a school where financial aid slashes sticker prices by over 50% for most students.

Admission requirements

Test-blind — scores not considered

Required

High school transcript
Grade point average
Demonstrated competencies
TOEFL (non-native English)

Considered (not required)

College-prep program

Source: IPEDS Admissions survey (2022) via Urban Institute. Covers formal factors only — it does not reflect essays, extracurriculars, or other holistic criteria.

More details

Undergrad enrollment: 400
In-state tuition: $32,150
Out-of-state tuition: $32,150
Location: Lancaster, PA
Acceptance Rate: 99.2%
Graduation Rate: 58%
Notable Programs: Illustration, Graphic Design, Animation
Total Enrollment: ~300
Student-Faculty Ratio: 9:1
Median Earnings (1 Yr): $36,427

Outcomes & value

Median earnings (10 yr): $33,301
Value (earnings ÷ net price): 1.1×
Median debt at graduation: $27,000
Graduation rate: 69%
First-year retention: 85%
Reducing loan balance (3 yr): 52%
Pell (lower-income) share: 52%
Endowment / student: $8,483

Earnings = median of students working ~10 years after entry; debt = median of graduates. Value divides 10-yr earnings by one year’s net price — read it as earnings per dollar of annual cost, not a full lifetime ROI; it favors lower-cost schools. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~2 years and reflect all students, not your intended major.

Financial health

2.2 / 3.0Meets the federal financial-responsibility standard

U.S. Dept. of Education Financial Responsibility Composite Score (FY2022-23). Scale −1.0 to 3.0; ≥1.5 meets the standard. Reported for private nonprofit & for-profit institutions only — public universities are state-backed and not scored, so this is a stability signal, not a ranking.

Campus & location

Campus safety

On-campus violent crimes (2024): 0
Per 1,000 students: 0.00

On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.

Climate

Pleasant days / yr: 89
Summer high: 84°F
Winter low: 29°F
Annual rain: 46.4"
Annual snow: 16.1"
Natural-hazard risk: Relatively High

Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.

Deep dive — research, future-scholar output & economic mobility

Research output

Institutional h-index: 6
Scholarly works: 28

Institutional research volume and impact from OpenAlex. The h-index reflects large research universities and will be low for teaching-focused liberal-arts colleges — not a measure of undergraduate quality.

Quick answers

What is the acceptance rate at Pennsylvania College of Art and Design?: Pennsylvania College of Art and Design's acceptance rate is approximately 99% (Lancaster, PA), based on the most recent figures we compiled from public and primary sources.
How much does Pennsylvania College of Art and Design cost?: At Pennsylvania College of Art and Design, the average net price (after aid) is about $30,083 per year. Actual cost varies with financial aid and residency.
How many undergraduates attend Pennsylvania College of Art and Design?: Pennsylvania College of Art and Design enrolls approximately 400 undergraduate students.
Where is Pennsylvania College of Art and Design located?: Pennsylvania College of Art and Design is located in Lancaster, PA.

Admissions

PCA&D is one of the most accessible art schools in the country, with a 99.2% acceptance rate (394 admits from 397 applicants in 2024). The college proudly avoids SAT/ACT requirements, joining over 900 institutions, and instead evaluates applicants through portfolios and creative potential. Recent years have seen record application numbers—over 1,000 for Fall 2024—though the ultra-high suggests the real filter is whether students can handle the rigor once enrolled.

Test-Optional: No SAT/ACT required ([Source 12](https://pcad.edu/apply/first-year/))
Volume: 397 applications in 2024 ([Source 1](https://datausa.io/profile/university/pennsylvania-college-of-art-and-design?redirect=true))
Yield: ~41% (414 enrolled from 394 accepted in one dataset) ([Source 11](https://www.petersons.com/college-search/pennsylvania-college-of-art-and-design-000_10004102.aspx))

datausa.io pcad.edu petersons.com pcad.edu