Private nonprofit · College

Moore College of Art and Design

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · Large city

56.5%
Admit rate: $43,086
Avg net price: 57%
Graduation rate: $37,839
Median earnings

Moore College of Art and Design is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (large city setting), enrolling 535 undergraduates. It is a women's college.

Private nonprofitSmall · 535 undergradsLarge citySelective · 56% admitCold wintersNear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Moore College of Art and Design's admitted students.

Admit rate: 56.5%
SAT (mid 50%): 1180–1380
Avg GPA (est.): 3.63

Your test score

Your GPA (4.0 scale, optional)

Enter a test score to see where you land against Moore College of Art and Design's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Moore College of Art and Design's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, colloquially referred to as Philly, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the sixth-most populous city in the United States. Before the arrival of Europeans in the early 17th century, the Lenape, an Indian tribe also known as the Delaware Indians, lived in the village of Shackamaxon in present-day Philadelphia and the surrounding area. Philadelphia is home to many national historical sites that relate to the founding of the United States. Independence National Historical Park is the center of these historical landmarks and one of the country's 22 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Large city
Highest degree offered: Graduate
Nearest big city: Philadelphia, PA
To the ocean: 2 miles
Nearest airport: 7 miles to Philadelphia (PHL) · major hub

How Moore College of Art and Design compares

Selectivity56.5%

More selective than 80% · #17 most selective of 111 in Pennsylvania

SAT average1282

Higher than 76%

Graduation rate57%

Higher than 55% · #66 of 116 in Pennsylvania

First-year retention81%

Higher than 64%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$37,839

Higher than 10% · #113 of 116 in Pennsylvania

Average net price$43,086

Cheaper than 3% · #111 cheapest of 112 in Pennsylvania

Median debt at graduation$26,000

Lower than 24%

Student–faculty ratio9 : 1

Lower than 83%

Undergraduate enrollment535

Larger than 22%

Percentiles compare Moore College of Art and Design with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Pennsylvania.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

Undergraduate53597%
Graduate143%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White48%
Black16%
Hispanic6.4%
Asian3.4%
Other or multiracial27%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 535
Graduate enrollment: 14
Student–faculty ratio: 9 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 43%
First-generation students: 31%
Students over 25: 8%
Median family income: $55,988
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $72,729
Endowment: $51,242,825

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 108 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From Pennsylvania44%
Other U.S. states56%

A national draw — only 44% of first-years come from Pennsylvania; 56% arrive from other states.

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: 56.5%
Test scores: Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %): 1180–1380
SAT average: 1282
SAT reading: 620–710
SAT math: 560–670
ACT composite: 26–32
Average GPA (estimated): 3.63

Cost

In-state tuition: $52,812
Room & board: $19,506
Books & supplies: $2,978
Total cost of attendance: $71,327
Average net price: $43,086

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years): 57%
Graduated on time (4 years): 52%
First-year retention: 81%
Transferred to another college: 22%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $30,512
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $37,839
Median debt at graduation: $26,000
Students with federal loans: 85%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 61%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

52%

Low-income (Pell)

59%

First-generation

58%

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: 271
Dorm capacity vs undergrads: 51%
Application fee: $60

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 0

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

$34,834

$30–48k

$42,789

$48–75k

$34,168

$75–110k

$46,865

$110k+

$47,504

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.

Family income

Est. total to a degree

$141,246

$34,168/year × about 4.1 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.

100%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$21,225

average award, among those who get one

Moore College of Art and Design discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $21,225. 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 113 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): $37,839
Typical debt at graduation: $26,000
Debt vs. one year's pay: 69%
Out-earn a HS grad: 48%

Typical debt would take roughly 6.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Weigh it value

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.

Campus climate

Summer high: 89°F
Winter low: 28°F
Annual rain: 50.7″
Annual snow: 16.1″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Phila Franklin Inst, PA US station (0.1 mi from campus).

What Moore College of Art and Design graduates study — and earn

Design and Applied Arts

48 grads$21k 1 yr$46k 5 yr$27k debt

48$20,587$46,147$27,000 Visual and Performing Arts, General

13 grads$27k 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

13$27,107——Fine and Studio Arts

8 grads— 1 yr$26k 5 yr— debt

8—$26,214—Film/Video and Photographic Arts

4 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

4———Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas

2 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

2———

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 Moore College of Art and Design

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Moore College of Art and Design side by side →

Bennington College

Private

Bennington, Vermont · Distant town · 32 mi to Albany

Students: 780
Admission: 45%
Net price: $31k
SAT: 1364
GPA: 3.8
Earnings: $38k

Cleveland Institute of Art

Private

Cleveland, Ohio · Large city · 5 mi to Cleveland

Students: 539
Admission: 61%
Net price: $29k
SAT: 1193
GPA: 3.5
Earnings: $43k

Maryland Institute College of Art

Private

Baltimore, Maryland · Large city · 1 mi to Baltimore

Students: 1,189
Admission: 77%
Net price: $43k
SAT: 1258
GPA: 3.5
Earnings: $45k

Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Private

Minneapolis, Minnesota · Large city · 2 mi to Minneapolis

Students: 705
Admission: 48%
Net price: $30k
SAT: 1161
GPA: 3.4
Earnings: $41k

Hollins University

Private

Roanoke, Virginia · Midsize suburb · 6 mi to Roanoke

Students: 665
Admission: 68%
Net price: $21k
SAT: 1230
GPA: 3.5
Earnings: $40k

College of the Atlantic

Private

Bar Harbor, Maine · Remote rural · 113 mi to Portland

Students: 353
Admission: 70%
Net price: $25k
SAT: 1370
GPA: 3.8
Earnings: $40k

Colleges near Moore College of Art and Design

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 23 students

< 1 mi

Community College of Philadelphia

Philadelphia, PA · Public · Associate · 11,948 students

1 mi

Empire Beauty School-Center City Philadelphia

Philadelphia, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 279 students

1 mi

Peirce College

Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 799 students

1 mi

Curtis Institute of Music

Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 109 students

1 mi

Health and Technology Training Institute

Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 20 students

1 mi

Academy of Vocal Arts

Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit · Graduate

1 mi

Thomas Jefferson University

Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 3,755 students

1 mi

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.