Northwest College of Art & Design

Tacoma, WA · WestQuad's selectivityAccessible

Known forIntimate campus

Admissions · Fall 2024

7 in 10 applicants admitted

Northwest College of Art & Design admits about 7 in 10 applicants (66%). That puts it in the "Accessible" tier, more selective than 69% of the 1,547 colleges that report admissions.

66%

acceptance rateQuad's selectivityAccessible

Applied

Admitted

Yield

41%

of admits enroll

Applications 77 → 97 since fall 2014 · admit rate 77% → 66%Over time

Getting in, in detail: funnel, what they look at, your scores

Students

Who's on campus

A small campus of 139 undergrads, where 51% receive Pell Grants, a high share compared to other colleges.

139

undergrads · larger than 9% of colleges

Diversity index

0.61

Pell Grant

51%

above the median

Midsize cityNo college housing

Undergrads +48% since fall 2014Over time

Students and campus life in detail

Academics

Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Design and Visual Communications, General (100% of graduates). 34 students for every faculty member, more than at 99% of colleges. Spends $3,861 a year on instruction per student.

34 to 1

students per faculty member · more than at 99% of colleges

What it costs

What students pay, price by family income, debt, and who gets grants.

$14.8K

net price per year for first-years with grants

Full price: $30,038 a year; tuition, housing, food, books, and other costs
Need-based aid: Little need-based aid above $110K; aid thins out for families above that income
Merit aid: 9.1% · avg $21K; of first-years got a grant without federal aid (a proxy: at most colleges that's merit aid)

Federal loans

48%

of undergrads · national median 45%

Your price

Net price calculator

the college's own

Financial aid

Financial aid office

Prices, who gets aid, and borrowing in detail

Outcomes

What it pays

Former students earn a median $31,167 ten years after enrolling, more than at 3% of colleges; 48% graduate within six years.

48%

graduate within six years · national median 59%

Median earnings

$31.2K

10 years after entry

Median debt

$30.8K

≈ $326/month for 10 years

Retention

77%

come back for year two

Graduation rate 72% → 58% since the class that entered fall 2008Over time

Earnings, finishing, 8-year outcomes, by group

Over time · since 2013–14

How it's changed

Applications
77 → 97
Selectivity
77% → 66%
Diversity
Reported

Every series, year by year

Keep exploring

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Sources for this overviewEvery dataset and year behind the numbers on this profile; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources for this profile

1
IPEDS directory (Institutional Characteristics: HD)
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) · 2025–26 · retrieved 2026-10-12
2
College Scorecard
U.S. Department of Education · most recent release; Entered fall 2023; Fall 2024; 2023–24; Fall 2023 · retrieved 2026-10-12
3
IPEDS Admissions survey
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) · Fall 2024 · retrieved 2026-10-12
4
IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) · 2023–24 · retrieved 2026-10-12
5
IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation)
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) · 2025–26 · retrieved 2026-10-12
6
IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D)
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) · Fall 2024 · retrieved 2026-10-12
7
IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field)
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) · 2024–25 graduates · retrieved 2026-10-12
8
College Scorecard Field of Study data
U.S. Department of Education · most recent release · retrieved 2026-10-12
9
IPEDS Finance survey, derived per-student figures
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) · 2023–24 · retrieved 2026-10-12
10
IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) · 2023–24 · retrieved 2026-10-12
11
Common Data Set
Each college (voluntary, standardized template) · most recent release · retrieved 2026-10-12
12
IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients)
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) · Entered fall 2018 · retrieved 2026-10-12
13
IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part C, residence of first-time students)
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) · Fall 2024 · retrieved 2026-10-12
14
IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part A, enrollment by level)
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) · Fall 2024 · retrieved 2026-10-12
15
IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (distance education)
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) · Fall 2024 · retrieved 2026-10-12
16
IPEDS Salaries survey (SAL, instructional staff, all ranks)
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) · Fall 2024 · retrieved 2026-10-12
17
IPEDS Outcome Measures survey
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) · Students entering fall 2016 · retrieved 2026-10-12

IPEDS unit ID 377546 · Data retrieved 2026-10-12. Tap any ⓘ to see where that number came from and what year it describes. National ranks and medians include every 4-year college that reports the measure. How we source and calculate everything