California College of the Arts - Ratings, Reviews & Ranking

" If your primary concern is learning about your field and making connections in the industry (and you're willing to put in 110% effort over the course of your time at school), I think CCA is a good choice. If you want a traditional college experience with clubs, Greek life, a party scene, and lively spring breaks, CCA will be a colossal waste of money for you. I'd highly recommend that you think about the cost of tuition, housing, and supplies, and consider the return on investment that your degree is likely to get. If you're pursuing something like industrial design or interaction design, and you can get a decent scholarship or your parents are paying? It could be a good choice (if you're willing to put in the work). If you want a fine arts degree in a field that won't pay well after college? I wouldn't do it. In my eyes, the main draw is that many (but not all) of the design professors are actively working in the industry, keeping classes up-to-date and helping students navigate networking and job/internship applications. However, outside of major classes, the humanities and sciences classes that are required can be hard to get through as they bear little relation to any of your actual coursework and professors can be reluctant to hear students with differing views. Across the board, there seems to be little recourse for students who want to report difficult or unfair professors (expect to leave critiques crying from time-to-time, and for professors to have no understanding of what it means to be a college student on a tight budget when they require you to buy hundreds of dollars worth of supplies unexpectedly). As stated earlier, this is a very nontraditional college. As an art school, most of your classes will be studio classes. These require 6 hours of class time per week, with several additional hours for homework and projects. Professors are not always forthcoming with grades, meaning you very well may be going into finals week with no idea where you stand in the class. Professors can also be very short if students inquire about their grades, often saying "You should care about the art, not the grade." Additionally, you'll have seminar or lecture classes that are 3 hours of instruction per week (plus time for homework and readings). The average student will have 24 hours of class time per week and likely at least 12 additional hours for homework (more than that if you want As, in my experience). Classes are usually held in 3 hour blocks, and some can be at very odd or inconvenient times (such as studio classes that run from 7:15pm to 10:15pm, which are a nightmare for students who commute to and from campus relying on public transit). As such, the class times can make working an off-campus part-time job difficult for some students, though there are still opportunities for on-campus jobs. The main thing to be aware of when considering CCA is the extremely high cost of living in the San Francisco Bay Area. The school does ha "

" Pros: CCA is one of the top design programs in U.S. with many great teachers who are working professionals as well in San Francisco design companies. Cons: High tuition, even with grants and financial aid combined, plus cost of living, and project materials. Poor campus experience. Lack of good food choices, not enough parking space, depending on what time your class starts, some students are hit with parking tickets in San Francisco. If you have evening classes it doesn't feel safe to stay late to use the computer lab to work on your project and walk to your car. "

" The quality of education offered at CCA largely depends on the department and major. In general, my experience has been that there are a few professors who are wonderful – truly passionate about the subjects they teach and committed to their students' success. However, other professors are unnecessarily rude, disrespectful, and take a "my opinion is the only one that matters" approach. As other students have mentioned on various college review platforms, there are next to no traditional college amenities: no sports, no gym, very few clubs, etc., so if these are important to you, CCA isn't the place for you. If you are motivated and have a clear aim (i.e., I want to study ceramics or painting with X professor, I want to work at X San Francisco-based company, etc.), reach out to a current or past student to chat about the program you're interested in – most of us will be more than happy to share our experiences! "

" An art school is focused on work rather than anything else. However, you learn so much as a designer/artist/person/student. Your professors are your friends, they are here to support you and help you. "

" This college is amazing. The skills students learned are perfect for their position and their future career. But the tuition is expensive. There are a lot of great lectures and visiting artists, like people from PlayStation, Google, Amazon, etc. A lot of opportunities to get a connection with these people from big companies. "