Northwest College of Art & Design
Tuition, net price, acceptance rate, graduation rate, and graduate salary · Tacoma, Washington
Net price / year
$16,418
after grants & scholarships
lower than 92% of for-profit 4-year colleges
Acceptance rate
66%
Graduation rate
48%
within 150% of normal time
higher than 50% of for-profit 4-year colleges
Median earnings
$35,490
4 years after graduating
lower than 96% of for-profit 4-year colleges
Northwest College of Art & Design at a glance
- What is the tuition at Northwest College of Art & Design?
- Undergraduate tuition and fees are $18,100 for the 2024-25 academic year.
- What is the cost of attendance at Northwest College of Art & Design?
- The average cost of attendance is $30,038 a year before financial aid (2023-24), counting tuition, books, housing and other living expenses.
- What is the net price at Northwest College of Art & Design?
- The average net price is $16,418 a year after grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid (2023-24).
- What is the acceptance rate at Northwest College of Art & Design?
- About 66% of applicants were admitted (fall 2024).
- Is Northwest College of Art & Design test optional?
- Test policy reported to the federal government: Tests neither required nor recommended.
- What is the graduation rate at Northwest College of Art & Design?
- 48% of first-time, full-time students finish within 150% of normal time, or 6 years (entering classes through fall 2018).
- How much do graduates of Northwest College of Art & Design earn?
- The median graduate earns $35,490 four years after finishing, among graduates working and not enrolled (2024 dollars).
Key takeaways
- At $16,418 a year, the average net price is lower than 92% of for-profit 4-year colleges.
- The typical monthly loan payment of $326 would take about 11% of a graduate's pay.
- Families earning under $30,000 pay about $12,977 a year on average, versus $29,101 for families earning over $110,000.
- Pell Grant recipients completed within 150% of normal time at a rate of 38%, compared with 48% for all students, a gap of 9 points.
- Graduates earn a median $35,490 four years after finishing, less than 96% of for-profit 4-year colleges.
Tuition and cost of attendance at Northwest College of Art & Design
Average net price
$16,418 per year
Cost of attendance minus average grants and scholarships, for first-time full-time students receiving federal aid.
Estimate your own price with the Northwest College of Art & Design net price calculator ↗
Estimated total net cost
$65,672
Net price × 4 years, at today's prices and assuming on-time completion. Your actual cost depends on your aid.
Net price by family income
Average yearly net price for students receiving federal aid.
- $0–30k $12,977
- $30–48k $11,857
- $48–75k $17,146
- $75–110k $24,031
- $110k+ $29,101
Where the sticker price goes· Cost of attendance $30,038
- Tuition & fees$18,100
- Books & supplies$800
- Room & board$15,384
- Other expenses$4,274
- Tuition & fees (in-state)
- $18,100
- Tuition & fees (out-of-state)
- $18,100
Northwest College of Art & Design acceptance rate and admissions
Acceptance rate
Share of applicants admitted.
Test policy: Tests neither required nor recommended
Graduation rate and salary after graduating from Northwest College of Art & Design
Graduation rate
48%
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time.
Retention rate
77%
Full-time first-years who return the next fall.
Typical monthly payment
$326
On a standard 10-year federal plan.
Earnings vs debt
Of graduates working and not enrolled, in 2024 dollars.
- Debt-to-earnings
- 0.9×Median debt divided by median earnings 4 years after graduating.
- Share of pay going to loans
- 11%
- 3-year loan default rate
- 0%
Outcomes by student group
The Scorecard reports some outcomes separately for groups of students. A group is left out when it is too small to report. These are school-level figures and say nothing about any individual student.
Completion within 150% of normal time, by group
Share of students who entered in 2018 and completed within 150% of normal time (six years at a four-year college, three at a two-year college).
All students, same entering cohort: 58%
Group rates and the all-student rate come from the same 2018 entering cohort, so they can be compared directly. Groups at small colleges can rest on very few students. Data period: Entering cohort 2018 (IPEDS).
Earnings ten years after entry
All students who entered this college, whether or not they graduated, in 2022 dollars, ten years after entry.
Typical range: middle half of students
25th percentile $10,385 · median $31,167 · 75th percentile $46,798
Median by sex
This is not the same as the graduates' earnings shown above. It covers everyone who entered, including students who left without a degree, ten years after entry and in 2022 dollars. The graduates' figure covers only completers, four years after finishing, in 2024 dollars. Do not compare the two directly.
Data period: Students who entered in academic years 2009-10 and 2010-11 (pooled), earnings measured in 2020 and 2021, 2022 dollars (Treasury).
Median federal student debt, by group
Median federal loan debt of students who borrowed, when they left school, by group.
By first-generation status
Data period: Loans in fiscal years 2020 and 2021 (pooled, NSLDS).
Programs and majors at Northwest College of Art & Design ranked by earnings
| Program | Earnings, 4 yrs after | Earnings over time | Compared with the U.S. median for this field | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's · Graduates: 26 Small sample | $35,885 | 1 yr$27,6944 yrs$35,885 | U.S. median $51,490 U.S. middle half $33K–$70.6K · Below the U.S. median | $30,734 |
Earnings are for graduates working and not enrolled, 4 years after completing, in 2024 dollars.
The U.S. median and middle half (25th to 75th percentile) are for graduates of the same field and credential level at all colleges, 4 years after completing.
The 1-year, 4-year and 5-year figures come from different graduating cohorts and dollar years (1-year: AY2018-19 and AY2019-20 graduates, 2022 dollars; 4-year: AY2017-18 and AY2018-19 graduates, 2024 dollars; 5-year: AY2014-15 and AY2015-16 graduates, 2022 dollars), so read them as three separate measures, not a single career path.
Small samples are noisy: the Scorecard adds privacy noise to program figures and some rows are based on only a handful of graduates, so rows marked “small sample” can move a lot from year to year.
What students study
The largest fields among the degrees and certificates this college awarded, grouped by two-digit CIP code (the federal Classification of Instructional Programs). Fields under 1% are left out.
Share of degrees and certificates awarded, by field
A large share means many awards, not necessarily many students or higher earnings. Data period: Awards in academic year 2024-25 (IPEDS).
Who attends
A snapshot of the undergraduate student body as this college reported it to the federal government. Shares are shown as published; they can differ slightly from 100% because of rounding.
Race and ethnicity
- White 57.6%
- Black or African American 10.1%
- Hispanic or Latino 19.4%
- Asian 4.3%
- American Indian or Alaska Native 6.5%
- Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 1.4%
- Two or more races 0%
- U.S. nonresident 0%
- Race and ethnicity unknown 0.7%
Federal reporting categories. Students who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents are counted as nonresident, and students who did not report are counted as unknown. Data period: Fall 2024 (IPEDS).
Gender
- Men 31.7%
- Women 68.4%
Federal reporting uses two categories. Data period: Fall 2024 (IPEDS).
Students aged 25 or older
15%
of undergraduates
Many adult students work or have families while enrolled. Data period: Fall 2023 (IPEDS).
Students and campus
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 139
- Part-time students
- 4%
- Receive Pell Grants
- 51%
- Receive federal loans
- 48%
- Students per faculty member
- 34 : 1
- Setting
- City
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Frequently asked questions
How much is tuition at Northwest College of Art & Design?
For the 2024-25 academic year, Northwest College of Art & Design reported undergraduate tuition and fees of $18,100. This is the published price before grants and scholarships; what you pay depends on your aid.
What is the cost of attendance and net price at Northwest College of Art & Design?
The average cost of attendance at Northwest College of Art & Design is $30,038 a year (2023-24), counting tuition, books, housing and other living expenses. After grants and scholarships, the average net price is $16,418 a year. That is lower than 92% of for-profit 4-year colleges.
How much financial aid do students at Northwest College of Art & Design get?
51% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. 48% receive federal loans. The average net price runs from $12,977 a year for families earning under $30,000 to $29,101 for families earning over $110,000 (2023-24).
What is the acceptance rate at Northwest College of Art & Design?
Northwest College of Art & Design admitted about 66% of applicants in fall 2024. That means most applicants are admitted.
What are the graduation rate and retention rate at Northwest College of Art & Design?
48% of first-time, full-time students at Northwest College of Art & Design finish within 150% of normal time. 77% of full-time first-years return the next fall.
How much do Northwest College of Art & Design graduates earn after graduation?
The median graduate earns $35,490 four years after finishing, among graduates working and not enrolled in further study (2024 dollars). One year after finishing, the median is $26,957.
Is Northwest College of Art & Design worth it?
There is no single answer: it depends on your major, your aid and whether you finish. For Northwest College of Art & Design, the data shows this. Graduates who borrowed have a median debt of $30,750, about 0.9 times their median earnings four years after finishing. 48% of first-time, full-time students finish within 150% of normal time. These are averages, not predictions, and they do not count income forgone while studying.
How much debt do Northwest College of Art & Design graduates have?
Graduates who borrowed have a median federal-loan debt of $30,750, or about $326 a month on a 10-year plan.
Sources and data periods
All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (June 2026 release). Periods differ by measure:
- Average net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Acceptance rate: Fall 2024, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation rate: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25 pooled with previous years (# of total pooled years found in POOLYRS)
- Median earnings: Treasury AY2017-18, AY2018-19 pooled cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Median graduate debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
Some figures are blank because the school did not report them or the group was too small to publish. How we calculate things