Private nonprofit · College

College for Creative Studies

Detroit, Michigan · Large city

91.9%
Admit rate
$34,617
Avg net price
71%
Graduation rate
$44,860
Median earnings

College for Creative Studies is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Detroit, Michigan (large city setting), enrolling 1,230 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,230 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 92% admitCold winters

About Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Paleo-Indians inhabited areas near Detroit as early as 11,000 years ago including the culture referred to as the Mound Builders. By the 17th century, the region was inhabited by Huron, Odawa, Potawatomi, and Iroquois peoples. The most heavily represented sectors are manufacturing (particularly automotive), finance, technology, and health care. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
2 miles to Detroit, MI
To Great Lakes shore
4 miles
Nearest airport
18 miles to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW) · major hub

How College for Creative Studies compares

Selectivity91.9%

More selective than 19% · #38 most selective of 43 in Michigan

Graduation rate71%

Higher than 79% · #10 of 44 in Michigan

First-year retention82%

Higher than 68%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$44,860

Higher than 24% · #40 of 45 in Michigan

Average net price$34,617

Cheaper than 9% · #42 cheapest of 44 in Michigan

Median debt at graduation$26,000

Lower than 24%

Student–faculty ratio10 : 1

Lower than 76%

Undergraduate enrollment1,230

Larger than 44%

Percentiles compare College for Creative Studies with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Michigan.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,287students
  • Undergraduate1,23096%
  • Graduate574%

Undergraduates by gender

1,230undergrads
  • Women69657%
  • Men53443%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White50%
  • Black13%
  • Hispanic5.9%
  • Asian5.1%
  • Other or multiracial26%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,230
Graduate enrollment
57
Student–faculty ratio
10 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
30%
First-generation students
23%
Students over 25
10%
Median family income
$61,518
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$98,748
Endowment
$90,867,689

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 262 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Michigan76%
  • Other U.S. states18%
  • International6.1%

Most first-years stay in state — College for Creative Studies draws overwhelmingly from Michigan.

6% came from outside the U.S. 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
91.9%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$53,350
Room & board
$15,272
Books & supplies
$2,144
Total cost of attendance
$66,014
Average net price
$34,617

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)
71%
Graduated on time (4 years)
49%
First-year retention
82%
Transferred to another college
14%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$33,691
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$44,860
Median debt at graduation
$26,000
Students with federal loans
52%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
52%

About 22% 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)

All students
49%
Low-income (Pell)
52%
First-generation
47%

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
626
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
51%
Housing charge (year)
$8,140
Meal plan (year)
$2,900
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
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.7 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
3
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (1,433 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.

1.0reported offenses a year
1.0 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Robbery
0.7
Fondling
0.3

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.

< $30k
$30,267
$30–48k
$33,152
$48–75k
$33,647
$75–110k
$33,667
$110k+
$38,580

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.

Est. total to a degree
$150,049

$33,647/year × about 4.5 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.

98%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$23,329
average award, among those who get one

College for Creative Studies discounts heavily: 98% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $23,329. 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 251 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)
$44,860
Typical debt at graduation
$26,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
58%
Out-earn a HS grad
57%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.8 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

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
$39,464
Men
$53,121

Men out-earn women by $13,657 (35%) 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
84°F
Winter low
20°F
Annual rain
29.9″
Annual snow
27.9″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.83.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Detroit City AP, MI US station (4.2 mi from campus).

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 College for Creative Studies

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare College for Creative Studies side by side →

Colleges near College for Creative Studies

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.