More selective than 70% of Ohio colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $64,587. College Scorecard.
Higher than 68% of Ohio colleges we cover and 58% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 21% of Ohio colleges we cover and 18% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
CIA acceptance rate & admissions
Of 963 applicants, Cleveland Institute of Art admitted 542 and 123 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 980–1280 on the SAT or 23–29 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
CIA tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
State aid: Ohio residents with household income up to $96,000 and a Student Aid Index of 3,750 or less may receive an Ohio College Opportunity Grant: up to $5,000 a year at private nonprofit colleges in 2026-27. Not included in the prices above. Ohio Department of Higher Education, OCOG 2026-27 award memo (FA27-001)
What CIA costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Cleveland Institute of Art took 4.1 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Ohio. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $23,423 | $96,034 | 13.6 years |
| $30–48k | $24,992 | $102,467 | 14.5 years |
| $48–75k | $26,654 | $109,281 | 15.5 years |
| $75–110k | $30,518 | $125,124 | 17.7 years |
| $110k+ | $37,436 | $153,488 | more than 20 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (61% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($42,509) minus $35,438 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in OH (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $7,071 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
CIA majors, earnings & careers
Cleveland Institute of Art offers 5 bachelor's majors across 3 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Arts & Design · 3
- Communications & Media · 1
- Health & Medicine · 1
Highest-earning majors at CIA
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design | $47,147 | $27,000 |
| Studio Art | $33,253 | $27,000 |
Quick list of all 5 majors
- Film and Photography—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$47,147
- Graphic Communications—
- Medical Illustration and Informatics—
- Studio Art$33,253
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design → Graphic designer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to shrink 1.7% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Cleveland
Overall prices in the Cleveland, OH area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,274. Housing costs 21% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 33 inches of rain a year, 64 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (very high); river flooding (relatively high); heat wave (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Cuyahoga County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Cuyahoga County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare CIA with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Ohio by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Institute of Art | 61% | $29,208 | 58% | $42,509 | This school |
| The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences | 59% | $18,378 | 56% | $68,303 | |
| Mount St. Joseph University | 59% | $16,530 | 56% | $51,509 | |
| Bluffton University | 67% | $19,943 | 53% | $49,547 | |
| Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science | — | — | — | $55,695 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Cleveland Institute of Art would cost you $10,830 more per year than The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Cleveland Institute of Art.
- Cleveland Institute of Art gives aided families $25,663 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Ohio resident | CIA | The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sticker price | $64,587 | $28,094 | +$36,493 |
| Average grants | −$35,379 | −$9,716 | −$25,663 |
| You pay | $29,208 | $18,378 | +$10,830 |
“+” means CIA costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about CIA
What is the CIA acceptance rate?
Cleveland Institute of Art accepts 61% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 542 of 963 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 980–1280 on the SAT or 23–29 on the ACT.
How much does Cleveland Institute of Art cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $64,587 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $29,208 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $23,423 and families earning $110k+ pay $37,436.
How much do CIA graduates earn?
Former Cleveland Institute of Art students earn a median $42,509 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the CIA graduation rate?
58% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 88% return for their second year.
How long does a CIA degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Cleveland Institute of Art costs about $109,281 after grants ($26,654 a year for 4.1 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $42,509 ten years after starting, $7,071 more than high school graduates in Ohio ($35,438), so the cost is repaid in 15.5 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Cleveland Institute of Art: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/cleveland-institute-of-art (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).