Match #1
Moore College of Art and Design
Philadelphia, PA
Profile closeness62/100
Admit rate56%
- 535 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Large
- Enrollment 535 students, close to 400
- Same Carnegie classification
The colleges most similar to Pennsylvania College of Art and Design are Moore College of Art and Design, Cleveland Institute of Art, and Columbus College of Art and Design. Pennsylvania College of Art and Design admits 99% of applicants and has an average net price of $33,456 a year; 5 of its 10 alternatives cost less and 0 admit a larger share of applicants, in the CollegesRef 2026–27 edition.
Profile closeness (0–100) compares graduation rate, size, admit rate, net price, Carnegie class, and control with Pennsylvania College of Art and Design. The order also uses CollegesRef matching tiers, so a later match can score higher. Admit-rate bars use a 0–100% scale.
Top 10 alternatives to Pennsylvania College of Art and Design
Row-wise results ranked by similarity. No curated AI list exists for this school.
Match #2
Cleveland Institute of Art
Cleveland, OH
Profile closeness78/100
Admit rate61%
- 539 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Large
- Graduation rate 62%, close to 69%
- Enrollment 539 students, close to 400
Match #3
Columbus College of Art and Design
Columbus, OH
Profile closeness70/100
Admit rate68%
- 882 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Large
- Graduation rate 61%, close to 69%
- Same Carnegie classification
Match #4
Maryland Institute College of Art MICA
Baltimore, MD
Profile closeness70/100
Admit rate77%
- 1,189 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Large
- Graduation rate 71%, close to 69%
- Same Carnegie classification
Match #5
Art Academy of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH
Profile closeness55/100
Admit rate34%
- 205 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Large
- Average net price $35,232, close to $33,456
- Same Carnegie classification
Match #6
Maine College of Art & Design
Portland, ME
Profile closeness72/100
Admit rate76%
- 415 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Small
- Enrollment 415 students, close to 400
- Same Carnegie classification
Match #7
Laguna College of Art and Design
Laguna Beach, CA
Profile closeness70/100
Admit rate94%
- 746 students
- Private nonprofit
- Rural: Fringe
- Acceptance rate 94%, close to 99%
- Same Carnegie classification
Match #8
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design
Milwaukee, WI
Profile closeness67/100
Admit rate61%
- 837 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Large
- Same Carnegie classification
- Same control type (private nonprofit)
Match #9
Kansas City Art Institute
Kansas City, MO
Profile closeness63/100
Admit rate55%
- 812 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Large
- Average net price $31,165, close to $33,456
- Same Carnegie classification
Match #10
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Minneapolis, MN
Profile closeness60/100
Admit rate48%
- 705 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Large
- Same Carnegie classification
- Same control type (private nonprofit)
Questions about Pennsylvania College of Art and Design alternatives
What colleges are similar to Pennsylvania College of Art and Design?
The closest matches to Pennsylvania College of Art and Design are Moore College of Art and Design, Cleveland Institute of Art, Columbus College of Art and Design, Maryland Institute College of Art MICA, and Art Academy of Cincinnati. CollegesRef ranks them on admissions, cost, graduation rate, size, and campus profile using IPEDS and College Scorecard data.
Is Pennsylvania College of Art and Design hard to get into?
Pennsylvania College of Art and Design admitted 99% of its 187 applicants in the CollegesRef 2026–27 edition, so it is not very selective: it admits most applicants. 0 of its 10 closest alternatives admit a larger share of applicants.
Which Pennsylvania College of Art and Design alternatives cost less?
5 of the 10 closest alternatives have a lower average net price than Pennsylvania College of Art and Design ($33,456 a year), including Minneapolis College of Art and Design ($26,849), Columbus College of Art and Design ($27,723), and Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design ($28,129). Net price is what first-time, full-time students paid after grants; your own price depends on family income.
