College for Creative Studies
Detroit, Michigan · Private Nonprofit · 91.9% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 30/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
College for Creative Studies in Detroit is a specialty art and design school posting a Below Benchmark ROI score of 30/100. The structure is a classic art-school challenge: high cost meets a labor market that rewards portfolio and reputation over credential, producing weak earnings outcomes. Tuition is $53,350 per year with a $34,617 net price after aid, and a four-year all-in cost of $138,468. Average earnings six years after entry are $37,100, and median earnings reach $44,860 at ten years. The payback period stretches to 28.2 years, debt-to-earnings is 0.701, and the earnings premium over high-school grads is just 7.1%. The bright spot is completion at 70.6%, which is genuinely strong for a specialty school and reflects committed students who came specifically for the program. The 68.5% repayment rate is okay but not great.
How College for Creative Studies scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score30/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period28.2 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
College for Creative Studies
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $53,350/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $53,350/yr |
| Average net price | $34,617/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $138,468 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $44,860 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $37,100 |
| Median debt at graduation | $26,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $276 |
| Estimated payback period | 28.2 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 70.6% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,230 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $53,350/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $34,617/year, or roughly $138,468 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $30,267/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $38,580/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $26,000, which works out to about $276 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($37,100) and comes to 0.70, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $30,267 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $33,152 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $33,647 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $33,667 |
| $110,001+ | $38,580 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $30,267 per year net - aid helps but absolute price is high. Four-year cost is $121,068. Against $44,860 ten-year median earnings, this is a difficult financial scenario for low-income families. The $30,001-$48,000 bracket pays $33,152.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income brackets pay $33,647 to $33,667 - essentially flat across $48k-$110k income, signaling minimal need-based aid scaling in this range. Four-year cost is $134,000-$135,000. The narrow aid spread means middle-income families face nearly the same price as upper-middle-income families.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $38,580 per year, putting four-year cost at $154,320. Still discounted from $53,350 sticker but a real full-pay price.
Earnings by Major
Top 4 most popular majors at College for Creative Studies with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Design and Applied Arts | $61,222 | D |
| Graphic Communications | $34,003 | F |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | $35,797 | F |
| Cinematography and Video Production | $41,739 | F |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Design and Applied Arts
Design and applied arts is CCS's largest program at 73 graduates, earning $32,665 at year one and $61,222 at year four, with $26,000 median debt and a 0.796 debt-to-earnings ratio - a D ROI grade. The four-year earnings ramp is strong (88% increase from year one to four) and reflects the slow climb of design careers from junior to mid-level. This is the program closest to a defensible financial case, particularly for transportation-design students placed at Detroit automakers.
Graphic Communications
Graphic communications (53 grads) is the second-largest program: $20,720 first-year earnings, $34,003 at four years, $27,000 debt, and a 1.303 debt-to-earnings ratio, an F ROI grade. Debt exceeds annual earnings substantially. The labor market for graphic design has compressed sharply with the rise of templated tools and AI.
Film/Video and Photographic Arts
Film/video/photography (18 grads) earns $24,350 at year one and $35,797 at year four with $27,000 debt and a 1.109 debt-to-earnings ratio - an F ROI grade. Film and photography are notoriously unforgiving labor markets where outcomes depend on portfolio, networking, and luck. The high debt load creates a structural problem regardless of talent.
Cinematography and Video Production
Cinematography (10 grads) earns $28,817 first-year and $41,739 at four years, with $30,620 debt and a 1.063 debt-to-earnings ratio - an F ROI grade. The earnings progression is weak and the debt load is high. Detroit is not a major film-production market.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 64.9% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 68.5% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 65.8% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 66.1% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How College for Creative Studies’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 91.9% |
| Enrollment | 1,230 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 30.0% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $10,972 |
CCS admits 91.94% of applicants, essentially open to those who submit a portfolio. SAT and ACT mid-ranges are not reported, consistent with an art-school admissions process driven by portfolio and creative reference rather than standardized testing. Open access correlates with the 70% completion rate that is meaningfully strong for an art-school context - committed students who arrive with a clear creative direction tend to finish.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| College for Creative Studies (this school) | 30 | $34,617 | $44,860 |
| School of Visual Arts | 30 | $57,914 | $46,459 |
| Maryland Institute College of Art | 29 | $42,729 | $45,212 |
| Massachusetts College of Art and Design | 29 | $24,100 | $43,582 |
| California College of the Arts | 27 | $53,909 | $49,414 |
| Ringling College of Art and Design | 27 | $57,742 | $43,325 |
Who Thrives Here
CCS enrolls 1,230 students with a 30% Pell rate. The fit is highly specific: students with strong creative portfolios and clear commitment to careers in transportation/automotive design, illustration, graphic design, or fine art. The school's tight ties to Detroit's design industry are a real asset for transportation-design and product-design students specifically.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, College for Creative Studies scores 30/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $34,617 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $44,860 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 28.2 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What it has going for it: its 70.6% graduation rate. What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.70 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 68.5% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $26,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $37,100 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.70. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
College for Creative Studies: Common Questions
Is College for Creative Studies worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. College for Creative Studies scores 30/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $34,617 a year after aid against $44,860 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 28.2 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does College for Creative Studies cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $34,617 a year, or roughly $138,468 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do College for Creative Studies graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $44,860 ten years after enrolling, roughly $3,060 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off College for Creative Studies?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 28.2 years for College for Creative Studies. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do College for Creative Studies graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $26,000, against average earnings of $37,100 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.70. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at College for Creative Studies?
The six-year graduation rate is 70.6%, at or above the 64% national average for four-year schools (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.