Quad

Head-to-head

California College of the Arts
Pacific

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Pacific costs about $16.7K less per year on average than California College of the Arts ($36,073 vs. $52,723, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  2. 2

    Pacific's grants cover 50% of its full price on average, vs. 38% at California College of the Arts

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    Pacific grads earn $11.2K more ten years out than California College of the Arts's ($60,583 vs. $49,414)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  4. 4

    Pacific has 1.5× as many undergrads as California College of the Arts

    Undergrads
  5. 5

    California College of the Arts is more diverse (index 0.80 vs. 0.74)

    Diversity index
  6. 6

    Pacific's yield is 5 pts higher than California College of the Arts's

    Yield rate

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

Pacific admits 90%, California College of the Arts 91%; Pacific's yield is higher, at 13%.

Acceptance rate
California College of the Arts91%
Pacific90%
Quad's selectivity
  • California College of the ArtsAccessible
  • PacificOpen
SAT middle 50%Axis 800–1600
California College of the ArtsTest-blind
Pacific
900–1240
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • California College of the ArtsGPA and school record required
  • PacificGPA and school record required

Who's on each campus

Pacific has 1.5× as many undergrads as California College of the Arts and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
California College of the Arts990
Pacific1.5K
Pell Grant share
California College of the Arts25%
Pacific28%

Majors and faculty

Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics, and Special Effects leads at California College of the Arts, and Exercise Science and Kinesiology at Pacific.

Students per faculty member
California College of the Arts8 to 1
Pacific10 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • California College of the ArtsAnimation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics, and Special Effects23%
  • PacificExercise Science and Kinesiology13%

What each costs

Pacific costs about $16.7K less a year than California College of the Arts on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
California College of the Arts$52.7K
Pacific$36.1K
Aid generosity
California College of the Arts38%
Pacific50%

What each pays off

Pacific's former students earn more, a median $60.6K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 70% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
California College of the Arts$49.4K
Pacific$60.6K
Graduation rate
California College of the Arts73%
Pacific72%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • California College of the ArtsGrowing+18%
  • PacificGrowing+12%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why