Private nonprofit · Institute
Cleveland Institute of Art
Cleveland, Ohio · Large city
- 61.4%
- Admit rate
- $29,208
- Avg net price
- 58%
- Graduation rate
- $42,509
- Median earnings
Cleveland Institute of Art is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Cleveland, Ohio (large city setting), enrolling 539 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Cleveland Institute of Art's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 61.4%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 980–1280
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.46
Enter a test score to see where you land against Cleveland Institute of Art's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Cleveland Institute of Art's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Cleveland was established on July 22, 1796, by surveyors of the Connecticut Land Company when they laid out Connecticut's Western Reserve into townships and a capital city. Cleveland's Playhouse Square is the second largest performing arts center in the U.S. behind New York City's Lincoln Center. It includes the State, Palace, Allen, Hanna, and Ohio theaters. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large city
- Highest degree offered
- Bachelor's
- Nearest big city
- 5 miles to Cleveland, OH
- To Great Lakes shore
- 3 miles
- Nearest airport
- 15 miles to Cleveland Hopkins (CLE) · major hub
How Cleveland Institute of Art compares
More selective than 75% · #17 most selective of 65 in Ohio
Higher than 57%
Higher than 57% · #31 of 73 in Ohio
Higher than 82%
Higher than 18% · #61 of 74 in Ohio
Cheaper than 17% · #62 cheapest of 73 in Ohio
Lower than 11%
Lower than 83%
Larger than 23%
Percentiles compare Cleveland Institute of Art with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Ohio.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women35365%
- Men18635%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White62%
- Black16%
- Hispanic11%
- Asian3.7%
- Other or multiracial7.2%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 539
- Student–faculty ratio
- 9 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 42%
- First-generation students
- 27%
- Students over 25
- 5%
- Median family income
- $53,314
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $64,206
- Endowment
- $37,610,248
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 122 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Ohio69%
- Other U.S. states31%
A regional draw: about 69% of first-years come from Ohio, the rest from elsewhere.
Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 61.4%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 980–1280
- SAT average
- 1193
- SAT reading
- 500–660
- SAT math
- 480–620
- ACT composite
- 23–29
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.46
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $49,400
- Room & board
- $12,850
- Books & supplies
- $1,700
- Total cost of attendance
- $64,587
- Average net price
- $29,208
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 58%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 49%
- First-year retention
- 88%
- Transferred to another college
- 3%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $33,148
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $42,509
- Median debt at graduation
- $27,000
- Students with federal loans
- 79%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 54%
About 9% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 319
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 59%
- Housing charge (year)
- $9,870
- Meal plan (year)
- $7,070
- Application fee
- Free
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 2.5 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 2
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 2
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (545 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$26,654/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Cleveland Institute of Art discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $26,580. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 154 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $42,509
- Typical debt at graduation
- $27,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 64%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 51%
Typical debt would take roughly 6.4 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Women out-earn men by $1,102 (3%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 81°F
- Winter low
- 24°F
- Annual rain
- 33.3″
- Annual snow
- 63.8″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Cleveland Burke AP, OH US station (4.2 mi from campus).
What Cleveland Institute of Art graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Cleveland Institute of Art
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Cleveland Institute of Art side by side →
Maranatha Baptist University
Watertown, Wisconsin · Fringe town · 35 mi to Madison
- Students
- 541
- Admission
- 72%
- Net price
- $26k
- SAT
- 1170
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $46k
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Minneapolis, Minnesota · Large city · 2 mi to Minneapolis
- Students
- 705
- Admission
- 48%
- Net price
- $30k
- SAT
- 1161
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $41k
Hollins University
Roanoke, Virginia · Midsize suburb · 6 mi to Roanoke
- Students
- 665
- Admission
- 68%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- 1230
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $40k
Lancaster Bible College
Lancaster, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 3 mi to Lancaster
- Students
- 1,569
- Admission
- 56%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- 1180
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $44k
Milligan University
Milligan, Tennessee · Midsize suburb · 51 mi to Asheville
- Students
- 818
- Admission
- 72%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- 1189
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $47k
Converse University
Spartanburg, South Carolina · Small city · 28 mi to Greenville
- Students
- 1,173
- Admission
- 68%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1138
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $41k
Colleges near Cleveland Institute of Art
Cleveland Institute of Music
Cleveland, OH · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 159 students
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 6,437 students
Ohio Technical College
Cleveland, OH · Private for-profit · Certificate · 683 students
Cleveland State University
Cleveland, OH · Public · Bachelor's · 8,969 students
John Carroll University
University Heights, OH · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,274 students
Cuyahoga Community College District
Cleveland, OH · Public · Certificate · 13,382 students
Allstate Hairstyling & Barber College
Cleveland, OH · Private for-profit · Certificate · 33 students
Remington College-Cleveland Campus
Cleveland, OH · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 197 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.














