Financial Aid
We know that college is a significant investment, so we provide unparalleled financial aid opportunities to talented students, regardless of their economic circumstances.
Introduction
Understand your financial aid opportunities
CCA scholarship recipients Maya Gulassa (BFA Individualized Studies 2018) and Daniel Ortiz (BFA Industrial Design 2018) speak about their experience at CCA.
With exceptional institutional support
CCA is ranked as the top art school in the nation for best return on investment. But what can you expect when it comes time to actually make that investment? A college committed to helping you succeed.
We have a dedicated Financial Aid office that helps students discover and learn how to apply for financial aid; we provide internship connections, career development, and student employment; and we invest in student futures by awarding more than $30.4 million in college-funded scholarships each year.
The financial aid process varies based on your circumstances. Over 89% of our students receive some form of financial aid, and the average amount of combined scholarships and grants a CCA undergraduate student receives is $40,784. Here are the major types of aid and who is eligible for each:
- Scholarships: First-year freshmen, transfer, international, continuing, and students
- Grants: First-year freshmen, transfer, continuing, and graduate students
- Work-Study: First-year freshmen, transfer, continuing, and graduate students
- Loans: First-year freshmen, transfer, international (for non-federal loans), continuing, and graduate students
Upcoming FAFSA deadlines
To apply for federal- and state-funded grants and loans, you’ll need to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form and include CCA's federal school code 001127.
DACA, Dreamer, or undocumented students who are California residents should fill out the California Dream Act Application (CADAA) instead of a FAFSA form. The CADAA does not require a Social Security number.
Undocumented students, Dreamers, and DACA recipients residing outside of California can apply for need-based aid with an institutional form from CCA that does not require a Social Security number. This form will be provided by your admissions counselor after you apply to CCA.
Contact
Our team can help you find financial aid
We offer guidance throughout the entire process
Reach out to us with any questions along the way, from how to get a scholarship or what is FAFSA, to when to submit required forms or understand a financial aid offer letter.
Scholarships
Plan for college with scholarships for art students
Emeric Kennard (BFA Illustration 2019) discusses their CCA experience and how support from the CCA community helped.
CCA scholarships
We have a robust scholarship offering that recognizes talented students in both our graduate and undergraduate programs. With an average financial aid offer of $44,317, part of which is provided by scholarships, full-time undergraduates can meet 58% of their financial need.
There are five types of institutional scholarships you may be eligible for:
- Merit
- Visionary Practice Scholarship
- Need-based
- CCA Named & Endowed Scholarships
- All-college honors
Merit scholarships
What is a merit scholarship?
Merit scholarships are awarded based on a student’s academic achievement and creative ability as demonstrated by their portfolio.
Who is eligible to receive a merit scholarship?
We offer merit scholarships for graduate students, first-time freshmen, international students, and transfer students.
Undergraduate merit scholarships range up to $30,000 and may be renewed for four years of full-time enrollment if the recipient maintains good academic standing.
Transfer applicants could receive up to $30,000 in the form of CCA’s Faculty Honors awards, based on outstanding creative ability and academic achievement.
Graduate merit scholarships range up to $51,000 and are awarded to outstanding students by the graduate admissions committee. These renewable scholarships are highly selective, prestigious, and based on the strength of the student’s application and portfolio.
International student scholarships based on merit range from $20,000 to $25,000 for undergraduate students. Graduate merit international student scholarships range from $10,000 to $51,000. Nearly half of our international students receive a merit scholarship.
How do I apply?
When you apply for admission to CCA by the priority deadline, you’re automatically qualified for merit scholarship consideration.
Visionary Practice Scholarship
What is the Visionary Practice Scholarship?
California College of the Arts awards the Visionary Practice Scholarship to students who have bold ideas and can harness the potential of their artwork, stories, and diverse life experiences to leave their mark wherever they go.
This scholarship advances creative excellence by giving aspiring artists the space and resources they need to thrive. We are cognizant of the structural inequalities in our society and aim to allocate the necessary resources that will empower students to shape culture and society with the objective of promoting a more equitable future.
How can I learn more about this scholarship?
The scholarship covers the cost of tuition and fees for the duration of the student's program at CCA and more. Read about what makes a great candidate for this scholarship as well as additional scholarship details.
Who is eligible to receive one?
How do I apply?
Undergraduate students who apply for admission to CCA by the priority deadline and who have also completed their FAFSA form or CADAA, as well as graduate students who apply for admission to CCA by the priority deadline, are automatically considered for the Visionary Practice Scholarship.
Need-based and CCA scholarships
What are need-based and CCA scholarships?
Need-based scholarships for undergraduate students and CCA scholarships for graduate students are awarded to those with demonstrated financial need and based on academic achievement.
Who is eligible to receive one?
Recipients must be U.S. citizens or eligible noncitizens and have demonstrated financial need. Students enrolled less than full time may receive prorated scholarships.
How do I apply?
When you apply for admission to CCA by the priority deadline and have also completed the FAFSA form or CADAA, you are automatically qualified for need-based or CCA scholarship consideration. Need-based scholarships will continue to be awarded to qualified applicants who submit a late application.
CCA Named & Endowed Scholarships
What are named scholarships?
These are scholarships initiated in honor of a generous donor, alum, emeritus faculty, or friend of CCA. View current CCA Named & Endowed Scholarships.
Who is eligible to receive one?
CCA Named & Endowed Scholarships are awarded to both graduate and undergraduate students. Some of these scholarships are exclusively for students working in particular disciplines.
Recipients are full-time incoming or continuing students who are either U.S. citizens or eligible noncitizens and who demonstrate financial need and academic merit at CCA.
All-college honors scholarships
What is an all-college honors scholarship?
Each spring, CCA sponsors the All-College Honors Awards competition, which awards scholarships that are then granted during the fall semester. Each merit prize is chosen based on a portfolio review by an interdisciplinary faculty jury.
Who is eligible to receive one?
Both enrolled undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to submit portfolios for this one-year prize. Competition entrants must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher and be in good academic standing.
How many are available?
Twenty-three all-college honors scholarship awards are given each academic year to students in BA, BFA, and BArch undergraduate programs, as well as in MA, MBA, MFA, and MArch graduate programs. Programmatic undergraduate award categories include Design and Architecture, Fine Arts, Writing, and First Year. Programmatic graduate award categories include Architecture.
Outside scholarships
Scholarship assistance can come from sources beyond CCA. Search BigFuture's (College Board) Scholarship Directory for domestic and international opportunities that offer scholarships for students.
Grants
The most beneficial form of financial aid
Grants don’t need to be repaid or earned
In combination with scholarships, grants can contribute greatly to financial aid because these funds don’t need to be paid back. During 2023-2024, CCA disbursed $28.8 million to undergraduate students in combined scholarship and grant funding. There are three types of grants that students most commonly use at CCA:
Federal Pell Grants
What can I expect from a Federal Pell Grant?
This is a federal grant that is offered to "exceptionally needy" undergraduates who seek to earn a bachelor's degree. Award amounts are set by the federal government based on financial need and enrollment status.
Awards range from $740 to $7,395 for full-time students; award amounts for part-time students are set in proportion to the number of enrolled units. Recipients should be in good academic standing.
Gender/Ethnicity of Pell Recipients
Gender
- Female 65%
- Male 30%
- Non-Binary 3%
- Unknown 2%
Ethnicity
- African American 1%
- Latino 35%
- American Indian or Alaskan Native 1%
- Asian 21%
- White 20%
- Two or more 7%
- Unknown 6%
Based on CCA's full-time Pell Grant Recipients for 2023-2024.
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
What can I expect from an FSEOG?
Full-time Federal Pell Grant recipients with significant financial need may also be awarded a Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG). The FSEOG award amount is $935 per year and may not be combined with Cal Grant funding at CCA.
Cal Grants
What can I expect from a Cal Grant?
Receiving a state Cal Grant makes a difference. When combined, institutional scholarships, Cal Grants, and federal grants could cover up to 84% of a student’s tuition each year, depending on their and their family’s financial circumstances.
Cal Grant A
Available for undergraduate California residents who seek to earn a bachelor’s degree, Cal Grant A awards are based on cumulative GPA and financial need and can be used toward tuition and fees. Qualifying students can receive grants up to $9,358, renewable for up to four years.
Cal Grant B
Cal Grant B awards are similarly available to undergraduate California residents who seek to earn a bachelor’s degree, but provide tuition and fee assistance plus a living allowance stipend. These are based on cumulative GPA and significant financial need. Recipients are generally from disadvantaged economic/educational backgrounds. Awards for first-year students provide up to $1,648 for books and living expenses. When renewed or applied beyond the first year, awards also include tuition and fee assistance of up to $11,006.
- Read details about Cal Grant information and how it affects institutional awards on the CCA portal
- Find regulations and rules at the California Student Aid Commission
Cal Grant recipients can manage their award on the WebGrants 4 Students portal.
Cal Grant key dates
Eligible California residents should apply for these state financial aid program resources by these deadlines. Steps to apply can be found at the California Student Aid Commission’s website.
Work-Study
Earn money while attending college
What is work-study?
Work-study programs provide part-time employment for undergraduate, graduate, part-time, and full-time students who demonstrate financial need. These positions empower students to begin paying educational expenses in real time.
At CCA, we offer two types of work-study programs—federal and institutional. The financial aid offer letter we mail following your offer of admission will provide information regarding whether a student is eligible for Federal Work-Study.
Federal work-study
Federal work-study (FWS) funds are offered on the basis of need to eligible undergraduate and graduate students applying for financial aid through the FAFSA. CCA students earned more than $970,000 in combined federal and institutional work-study funds during the 2022-2023 school year.
A federal work-study offer gives recipients priority status in securing a part-time job on campus. As part of the federal work-study program, these jobs emphasize employment in work related to their course of study or community service, which means FWS students can earn financial resources as well as professional leadership skills.
Institutional work-study
Institutional work-study funds are offered to undergraduate and graduate students who may or may not have financial need and don’t qualify for FWS funding. These students are selected based on their FAFSA application, merit, and commitment to community.
On- and off-campus employment
During the 2023-2024 school year, undergraduate students working on campus earned an average of $2,600 in federal work-study and $3,100 in federal work-study and institutional funds combined.
These jobs, such as Marketing Digital Media Assistant, Studio Assistant, or Facilities Assistant, also deepen the student’s experience on campus and connect them to professionals and peers they might not meet otherwise.
In addition to work-study programs, our graduate students can find on-campus work in CCA’s graduate teaching assistantship program, which offers meaningful, sustained, and practical teaching experience.
There are many resources that all students, regardless of their work-study status, are encouraged to use as they look for employment while in school. Our Career Development office and Center for Art and Public Life are heavily networked with businesses and industries in the Bay Area that hire and hone student talent. Plus, the private CCA Handshake Job Board lists nearby job and internship openings you can take advantage of while in school.
Loans
Student loan services and information
Apply for federal loans through FAFSA
Loans are different from grants and scholarships because the money borrowed through a loan must be paid back with interest. Federal loans are provided by the United States Department of Education and are one of the many ways to fund your education and potentially qualify for on-campus federal work-study.
To apply for federal loans, you’ll need to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and include CCA's federal school code 001127. Plan to submit your FAFSA every year you enroll in college, because your financial circumstances may have changed and, thus, your financial aid offer could too.
If you are admitted to CCA and have submitted your FAFSA including CCA's school code, you’ll receive a financial aid offer letter in the mail that outlines your financial aid offer based on the information we received from your FAFSA. From there, you’re allowed to accept, decline, or petition what you’ve been offered in federal student aid.
FAFSA key dates
Below are important deadlines for submitting a FAFSA. Graduate and undergraduate students who are U.S. citizens need to do this in order to be considered for federal financial aid (including loans and grants) as well as work-study and several types of institutional scholarships. Find the FAFSA form and steps to apply on the Federal Student Aid website from the U.S. Department of Education.
Types of loan programs
When you take out a loan, you’re taking on a big financial commitment. With that in mind, our financial aid office provides students with loan counseling after attendance to help assist in responsible repayment. The rate of our students defaulting on student loan payments within three years of graduating is consistently only around 5%.
Here are some of the federal educational loan programs our students frequently leverage to help finance their degrees. They’re only available for U.S. citizens or eligible noncitizens.
Financial aid forms and petitions
We understand that financing a college education can be challenging in any economic environment. We’re committed to helping you throughout the financial aid process, including petition requests and reviews. Please view our financial aid forms for more information about the following types of petitions:
- Financial aid award
- Estimated annual income
- Dependency status override
- Allowable budget additions
Loan repayment information and resources
After attending CCA, you can access additional loan and loan repayment counseling from our Financial Aid counselors.
Take the next step toward funding your future