Private nonprofit · College

Savannah College of Art and Design

Savannah, Georgia · Midsize city

83.0%
Admit rate
$49,430
Avg net price
69%
Graduation rate
$45,954
Median earnings

Savannah College of Art and Design is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Savannah, Georgia (midsize city setting), enrolling 15,243 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitLarge · 15,243 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 83% admitNAIA Division IINear the coast

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
83.0%
SAT (mid 50%)
1030–1270
Avg GPA (est.)
3.36

Enter a test score to see where you land against Savannah 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 Savannah 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 Savannah, Georgia

Savannah is a city in, and county seat of, Chatham County, Georgia, United States. On February 12, 1733, General James Oglethorpe and settlers from the ship Anne landed at Yamacraw Bluff and were greeted by Tomochichi, the Yamacraws, and Indian traders John and Mary Musgrove. Mary Musgrove often served as an interpreter. Beyond its architectural significance as the nation's largest, historically restored urban area, Savannah has a rich and growing performing arts scene and offers cultural events throughout the year. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
1 mile to Savannah, GA
To the ocean
11 miles
Nearest airport
7 miles to Savannah Hilton Head (SAV) · major hub

How Savannah College of Art and Design compares

Selectivity83.0%

More selective than 39% · #29 most selective of 46 in Georgia

SAT average1173

Higher than 50%

Graduation rate69%

Higher than 77% · #9 of 54 in Georgia

First-year retention86%

Higher than 79%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$45,954

Higher than 27% · #33 of 54 in Georgia

Average net price$49,430

Cheaper than 1% · #54 cheapest of 54 in Georgia

Median debt at graduation$25,148

Lower than 30%

Student–faculty ratio21 : 1

Lower than 8%

Undergraduate enrollment15,243

Larger than 93%

Percentiles compare Savannah 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 Georgia.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

18,241students
  • Undergraduate15,24384%
  • Graduate2,99816%

Undergraduates by gender

15,243undergrads
  • Women10,53069%
  • Men4,71331%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White52%
  • Black13%
  • Hispanic7.8%
  • Asian5.9%
  • Other or multiracial22%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
15,243
Graduate enrollment
2,998
Student–faculty ratio
21 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
19%
First-generation students
18%
Students over 25
6%
Median family income
$59,559
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$98,550
Endowment
$412,027,000

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 3,651 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Georgia15%
  • Other U.S. states72%
  • International13%

A national draw — only 15% of first-years come from Georgia; 71% arrive from other states.

13% 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
83.0%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1030–1270
SAT average
1173
SAT reading
540–660
SAT math
490–610
ACT composite
21–28
Average GPA (estimated)
3.36

Cost

In-state tuition
$41,630
Room & board
$18,123
Books & supplies
$2,061
Total cost of attendance
$63,627
Average net price
$49,430

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)
69%
Graduated on time (4 years)
52%
First-year retention
86%
Transferred to another college
17%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$34,110
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$45,954
Median debt at graduation
$25,148
Students with federal loans
34%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
52%

About 18% 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
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
7,000
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
46%
Housing charge (year)
$11,139
Meal plan (year)
$6,354
Application fee
$100
Athletics
NAIA Division II
Varsity athletes
432 (202 men · 230 women)

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%.

Varsity sports (10)

Equestrian70
Cross Country56
Soccer55
Lacrosse52
Bowling43
Other Sports41
Golf38
Tennis38
Swimming33
Fencing6

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
60
Property offenses (2022–2024)
19

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (18,550 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.

26reported offenses a year
20 violent a year6.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
10
Rape
7.3
Motor vehicle theft
3.7
Burglary
2.7
Aggravated assault
1.7
Robbery
1.0

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
$44,858
$30–48k
$45,198
$48–75k
$48,668
$75–110k
$51,558
$110k+
$52,147

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
$213,456

$48,668/year × about 4.4 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.

97%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$11,541
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 97% — get grant money from Savannah College of Art and Design itself, averaging $11,541, which softens the sticker price.

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 3,355 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)
$45,954
Typical debt at graduation
$25,148
Debt vs. one year's pay
55%
Out-earn a HS grad
52%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.5 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
$44,392
Men
$49,452

Men out-earn women by $5,060 (11%) 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
92°F
Winter low
40°F
Annual rain
48.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.46.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Savannah Intl AP, GA US station (7.9 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 Savannah College of Art and Design

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

Colleges near Savannah College of Art and Design

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.