Northwest College of Art & Design
Acceptance rate
66.0%
2025
Peer median 61.3%
Tuition per year
$18,100
$33,484 with room and board
Peer median $40,478
Undergraduates
139
Student-faculty ratio 34:1
Peer median 9 : 1
Graduation rate
21.9%
4-year; 6-year rate 56.3%
Peer median 52.9%
“Peers” are all 51 private art, music and design schools in the U.S. (by Carnegie Classification).
About
- Type
- Private for-profit, 4-year
- Location
- Tacoma, Washington
- Website
- ncad.edu
- Undergraduates
- 139
- Student-faculty ratio
- 34 : 1
This collegeRanked colleges nearby
- Setting
- Midsize city
- Nearest major city
- Seattle, about 25 mi
- Nearest international airport
- Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA), about 15 mi
- Also known as
- NCAD
- Academic calendar
- Trimester
- Religious affiliation
- Not applicable
- President
- Kim Perigard (Director of Operations)
- Phone
- 2532721126
- City
- Tacoma, Washington
- Address
- 1126 Pacific Avenue, Suite 101, Tacoma, WA 98402
Rankings & Admission
Peer median 61.3% · all 51 private art, music and design schools in the U.S.
Acceptance rate by gender, 2025
In 2020: men 84.2%, women 68.4%.
Test Scores
SAT/ACT not considered, even if submitted IPEDS (US Department of Education) has no recent SAT/ACT data for admitted students here. GPA, course rigor, essays and activities matter more.
How Hard Is It to Get In
about 7 in 10
97 applicants in 2025, 66.0% admitted
64 admitted 33 not admitted Yield 40.6%
Degrees & Majors
Graduates in 2025 (first major)
U.S. studentsInternational
All majors, graduates and earnings IPEDS · College Scorecard
*Depends on whether majors have graduates in 2025 or not, Yes / No
**Move mouse on can check deitaled graudates number, click for major detailed information
***Due to privacy policy, graduate salaries are not shown for some majors that has few gradautes
| Major | Graduate Salary | Under |
|---|---|---|
| Design and Visual Communications, General. | $36,037 |
Students
139 students in 2025 · Undergraduate men to women 32:68 · Freshman retention 76.8%
- Continuing undergraduates 98
- First-year undergraduates 23
- Transfers and others 18
Undergraduate race and ethnicity (139)
International Students
International share over the last 10 years · gray line: median of all 51 private art, music and design schools in the U.S.
0 in 2025 · 0.0% in 2016
Cost
2025 cost per year
$33,484
- Undergraduate tuition
- $18,100
- Room and board
- $15,384
Peer median tuition + room and board $58,844 · all 51 private art, music and design schools in the U.S.
Tuition rose -5% from 2016 to 2025; room and board rose 57%.
Finances · fiscal year 2024
Revenue$3.3M
Expenses$2.8M
Campus Life
Athletics and varsity athletes NCAA · EADA
No athlete data available for 2025.
No athlete data available for 2024.
No athlete data available for 2023.
Nearby & Safety
Ranked colleges nearby
-
University of Puget SoundTacoma · 2.0 mi
Liberal Arts #100
-
Seattle UniversitySeattle · 25.3 mi
U.S. News #179
-
Seattle Pacific UniversitySeattle · 27.7 mi
U.S. News #262
-
University of Washington-Seattle CampusSeattle · 28.5 mi
U.S. News #49
-
Portland State UniversityPortland · 120.9 mi
U.S. News #236
-
Reed CollegePortland · 122.7 mi
Liberal Arts #60
-
Pacific UniversityForest Grove · 123.8 mi
U.S. News #236
-
Lewis & Clark CollegePortland · 125.0 mi
Liberal Arts #97
-
George Fox UniversityNewberg · 137.0 mi
U.S. News #262
Peer median 1.3 · all 51 private art, music and design schools in the U.S.
Incidents, 2023–2025
From the Clery Act campus safety reports schools file, covering on-campus, non-campus and public property.
References and Data Sources
Data from IPEDS (U.S. Department of Education), U.S. News, THE, QS, ARWU and Clery Act campus safety reports. Data insights are written by the Forward Pathway data team from public data.