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The action-oriented

art, design, and architecture

school in San Francisco

A r t

D e s i g n

A r c h i t e c t u r e

W r i t i n g

F i l m

C r a f t

C o m m u n i t y

P l a y

S t o r y t e l l i n g

I n t e r a c t i o n

Exterior of CCA's entrance and main quad with students milling around.
#1 art school in the nation ROI #1 best undergraduate art school by salary potential (Payscale 2024) 83% of all students receive scholarships 100% of faculty are active practitioners 7:1 student to faculty ratio

California College of the Arts cultivates ideas, industry, and impact in the progressive San Francisco Bay Area, educating our students as global changemakers through purposeful practice and critical discourse.

Take a look at the highlights from the vibrant Class of 2025 showcase.

California College of the Arts cultivates ideas, industry, and impact in the progressive San Francisco Bay Area, educating our students as global changemakers through purposeful practice and critical discourse.

Take a look at the highlights from the vibrant Class of 2025 showcase.
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Hand drawn yellow spiral

Student work

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Layla Namak
Urban Analysis, El Campo de la Cebada
Architecture

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Lufan Yang
Rest stop 1, interior render 3
Architecture

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Tonghe Ge
OwnWay
Design

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Chibuzor Darl-Uzu
SOFT MATTER
Design

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PJ Parker
Proceed with Caution, Recall with Care
Fine Arts

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Yelyzaveta Vlasenko
Gray Fangs
Fine Arts

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Lindsey Machado
Humanities & Sciences (Ecological Practices)

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Furdeuce Mused
Seeing the Unseen
Humanities & Sciences

E x p e r i e n c e

All are welcome at CCA, where diverse cultures, practices, and ideas merge.

Looking at the back of CCA's main building through newly planted trees.

Tour Campus
A crowd of people at CCA's end-of-year Design and Architecture Show.

Attend programming
The exterior of the Wattis Institute with three people about to enter.

Explore the CCA Wattis

Student life

A bustling indoor convention or fan event scene featuring a diverse crowd of young attendees. In the foreground, several people are seated at a yellow-clothed table, likely an autograph or signing station, with markers and materials spread across it. The crowd displays various fashion styles, from casual to fan-oriented clothing, including someone wearing a Superman t-shirt and another in a military-style jacket. Many attendees sport colorful hair in pink, blonde, and other vibrant shades.
A group of four diverse individuals pose cheerfully in front of a backdrop featuring San Francisco's iconic Golden Gate Bridge. The casual indoor setting appears to be at a conference or event space, with bright fluorescent lighting and glass walls visible. A colorful cartoon mascot cutout stands at the right edge of the frame - a red-haired character in blue overalls. The group's body language and expressions convey warmth and camaraderie, with several members flashing peace signs and bright smiles.
A pair of promotional banners for the California College of the Arts (CCA) mounted on a metal pole against a modern building facade with distinctive red structural elements and mint-green windows. The left banner features close-up photography of hands working with vibrant purple crystalline or textile materials, accompanied by the text \"EXPERIMENTATION WHERE\" and the CCA logo.
A group of people gather at an exhibition in a bright, modern indoor space. The room is decorated with teal, black, and white balloon arrangements, creating a festive atmosphere. Several attendees wear matching teal t-shirts. The crowd displays genuine enthusiasm and joy, with people laughing and interacting naturally.
In a bright, minimalist studio space, an artistic installation or construction project takes shape using natural bamboo poles. Two men stand within a partially completed bamboo structure - one wearing a grey t-shirt and khaki shorts gestures enthusiastically with raised arms, while another in dark clothing observes from the side. The bamboo poles rise vertically and curve overhead, creating an organic architectural form reminiscent of a pavilion or shelter.
Three artists collaborate on painting a vibrant outdoor mural along the base of a modern glass-fronted building. The mural features a colorful nature scene with flying birds, a winding river, and red floral elements along the bottom. One artist wears white casual clothing with curly hair, another sports a paint-splattered apron and sunglasses, while the third wears dark casual attire.
A diverse group gathers around a table playing what appears to be a board game or tabletop game with a distinctive pink geometric pattern board. The setting is a modern, gallery-like space with white walls decorated with various artwork, sketches, and a \"GAME ARTS\" sign visible in the background. A young woman in a red and white gingham crop top stands observing the game, while other participants seated at the black-clothed table appear engaged in gameplay.

C o n n e c t

Our creative community makes a living by changing the world.

QT group with extended members, left to right, back to front: Farzad Kargaran, Maria Cardenas, Devan Ponce, Savithri Velaga, Cole Ryder, Thomas Euyang, and Andrew Roque

Quality Time

CCA MFA Design alums from collaborative design studio Quality Time—Devan Ponce, Maria Cardenas, Andrew Roque, Savithri Velaga, and Cole Ryder—share the foundation of their work and the importance of community building.

Read their story

Purposeful practices

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MA VisCrit 2016

Veronica Jackson

A group of diverse students gathers around a table, attentively listening to a speaker. The table displays architectural models and 3D printed objects.

Faculty

David Curiel

Grecia Rivera, Lineup.

BFA Fashion Design 2022

Grecia Rivera

Photo of Alegra Figeroid winning an Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Emmy.

BFA Illustration 2018

Alegra Figeroid

TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER ASIA’S OLDEST BIENNIAL BLINDFOLDED WHEEL THROWING AGING AGAINST THE MACHINE JAPANESE AESTHETICS STACKED SKINCARE KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE HUBS ARE HUMANS THE ONLY DREAMERS ON EARTH?
KNITTED FILM SCENES DIGITAL SUBMARINE HABITATS THE FUTURE IS HERE ALGAE MASK HOW TO HAVE AN AMERICAN BABY NON-HIERARCHICAL DIALOGUE ANIMAL DREAMS FIRE ROAD MATERIAL TECHNOLOGY INDIGENOUS ECOLOGICAL PRACTICES
IMPROVE YOUR ART STAMINA GREEN TOYS LIMESTONE SINKHOLES CARDBOARD JETPACK CALL THIS # NOW RADICAL ARCHITECTURE JAPAN&SEOUL&MEXICO&ICELAND&LONDON&PARIS MAIDU GOVERNANCE SLOW BEETHOVEN

A t t e n d

Come learn to make work that makes a difference.

Dec 15

Spring Extension registration opens

Register for spring Extension courses.

Jan 15

Graduate application priority deadline

Deadline to submit an application for institutional scholarship consideration and admission for the following academic year. Applications received after this date will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Feb 01

First-year fall priority deadline

First-year applicants must submit an application by this deadline to guarantee merit scholarship consideration, including eligibility for Visionary Practice Scholarships.

Mar 01

Transfer fall priority deadline

Transfer applicants must submit an application by this deadline to guarantee merit scholarship consideration, including eligibility for Visionary Practice Scholarships.

May 01

Deadline to confirm attendance and submit enrollment deposit

Admitted undergraduate students should confirm attendance and submit the $300 enrollment deposit for the fall semester by this date.

An abstract, teal blob.
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A yellow, abstract flower, shaped like a daisy.
A green, abstract, starburst-shaped object with unevenly protruding arms on a white background.