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Minneapolis College of Art and Design: Rankings, Cost & Majors

Fair Price Value for Your Money
48% Acceptance Rate
5% Student Loan Default Rate

Minneapolis College of Art and Design is a private not-for-profit institution in Minneapolis, Minnesota enrolling 705 undergraduates. It accepts 48% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 51%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #1,421 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 28%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.

Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.

How Is Minneapolis College of Art and Design Ranked?

Minneapolis College of Art and Design ranks #1,421 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 28%.

#1,421 Best Colleges in Nation
#53 Best Colleges in MN
Minneapolis College of Art and Design ranking badge

2027 Rankings

College Factual recognizes the best colleges and universities in its annual rankings. These rankings include categories for best overall colleges, best colleges for each major, best value schools, and much more.

Overall Quality

College Factual ranked MCAD as #1,421 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list.

Within the state, MCAD holds the #53 spot on the Best Colleges in Minnesota ranking.

See all of the rankings for Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

Is It Hard to Get Into Minneapolis College of Art and Design?

48% Acceptance Rate
52% Of Accepted Are Women
4% Submit SAT Scores

Acceptance Rate

Minneapolis College of Art and Design has an acceptance rate of 48%, which means the school is serious about who it admits. Take your time in putting together a strong application that highlights why you are a good fit for MCAD.

Average Test Scores

About 4% of students accepted to MCAD submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 600 and 710. Math scores were between 530 and 630.

SAT Reading and Writing Scores for Minneapolis College of Art and Design  ( 600 to 710 )
200
800
SAT Math Scores for Minneapolis College of Art and Design  ( 530 to 630 )
200
800

MCAD received ACT scores from 21% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 21 and 29.

ACT Composite Scores for Minneapolis College of Art and Design  ( 21 to 29 )
1
36

Learn more about Minneapolis College of Art and Design admissions.

What Is the Student-to-Faculty Ratio at Minneapolis College of Art and Design?

12 to 1 Student to Faculty
28% Full Time Teachers

Student to Faculty Ratio

At MCAD, the student to faculty ratio is an excellent 12 to 1. That’s much better than the national average of 15 to 1. This indicates that many classes will probably be small, and students will have ample opportunities to work closely with their professors and classmates.

Percent of Full-Time Faculty

In addition to the student to faculty ratio, some people look at what percentage of faculty members are full-time as a sign of how much time professors will be able to spend with their students. This is because part-time teachers may not be on campus as much as their full-time counterparts.

The full-time faculty percentage at Minneapolis College of Art and Design is 28%. This is lower than the national average of 47%.

Full-Time Faculty Percent  28 out of 100
0
100

What Are the Graduation and Retention Rates at Minneapolis College of Art and Design?

75% Freshmen Retention
51% On-Time Graduation Rate

Freshmen Retention Rate

The freshmen retention rate of 75% tells us that most first-year, full-time students like Minneapolis College of Art and Design enough to come back for another year. This is a fair bit higher than the national average of 68%. That’s certainly something to check off in the good column about the school.

Freshmen Retention Rate  75 out of 100
0
100

Graduation Rate

The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is typically four years. This rate at MCAD for first-time, full-time students is 51%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.

On-Time Graduation Rate  51 out of 100
0
100

Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

How Diverse Is Minneapolis College of Art and Design?

705 Undergraduate Students
31.5% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
69.5% Percent Women

During the most recent academic year, there were 705 undergraduates at MCAD.

Get more detailed information on the diversity at Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

How Much Does Minneapolis College of Art and Design Cost?

$17,140 Net Price
75% Take Out Loans
$26,828 Total Student Loans

The typical net cost at MCAD is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.

Net Price by Income Group for MCAD

$0-30 K $30K-48K $48-75 $75-110K $110K +
$23,662 $23,905 $26,550 $33,038 $34,345

The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of MCAD, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.

Student Loan Debt

While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At MCAD, approximately 75% of students took out student loans averaging $6,707 a year. That adds up to $26,828 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 4.6%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you’ll be able to pay back your student loans. Get more details about paying for Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

How Much Do Minneapolis C of Art and Design Graduates Earn?

$40,873 Avg Salary of Grads
Low Earnings Boost

Yearly salaries vary depending on what you major in, but on average, bachelor’s degree recipients from Minneapolis College of Art and Design make around $40,873 per year during the early years of their employment. This is about 17% less than the average pay for college graduates overall. However, graduates with your major may make more. Average Salary for Minneapolis College of Art and Design Graduates

See which majors at Minneapolis College of Art and Design make the most money.

Where Is Minneapolis College of Art and Design Located?

Minnesota State
705 Undergraduate Students
Large City Campus Setting

Minneapolis College of Art and Design is a private not-for-profit institution found in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The location of the school is great for students who enjoy the amenities of city life. Get more details about the location of Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

Location of Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Get in touch with Minneapolis College of Art and Design can be found below.

Contact Details
Address: 2501 Stevens Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404
Phone: 6128743737
Website: MCAD.EDU
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MCAD.MN
Twitter: twitter.com/mcad

What Majors Does Minneapolis College of Art and Design Offer?

6 Majors With Completions
382 Undergraduate Degrees

In the most recent reporting year, students from 6 majors graduated from Minneapolis College of Art and Design. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.

Most Popular Majors Completions Average Salary of Graduates
Multi-Disciplinary Studies 191 NA
Design & Applied Arts 75 $23,412
Fine & Studio Arts 41 $24,228
Graphic Communications 35 $20,090
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 19 NA
Business Administration & Management 8 NA
General Visual & Performing Arts 5 NA
Radio, TV & Digital Communication 3 NA
Woodworking 3 NA
Entrepreneurial Studies 2 $24,078

Learn more about the majors offered at Minneapolis College of Art and Design along with which ones have the highest average starting salaries.

Does MCAD Offer Online Classes?

24% Take At Least One Class Online

166 students took at least one online class at Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

Online courses are a great option for busy, working students as well as for those who have scheduling conflicts and want to study on their own time. As time goes by, expect to see more and more online learning options become available.

Learn more about online learning at Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

Want to see how other colleges compare to MCAD? Pit them head to head with College Combat, our free tool for head-to-head college comparisons.

Notes and References

Footnotes

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

References

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