More selective than 12% of Michigan colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $66,014. College Scorecard.
Higher than 83% of Michigan colleges we cover and 80% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 21% of Michigan colleges we cover and 25% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
CCS acceptance rate & admissions
Of 1,132 applicants, College for Creative Studies admitted 1,050 and 262 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
CCS 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
What CCS costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of College for Creative Studies took 4.4 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 Michigan. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $30,267 | $133,477 | 11.7 years |
| $30–48k | $33,152 | $146,200 | 12.8 years |
| $48–75k | $33,647 | $148,383 | 13.0 years |
| $75–110k | $33,667 | $148,471 | 13.0 years |
| $110k+ | $38,580 | $170,138 | 14.9 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.4 years, the average time graduates took (45% 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 ($44,860) minus $33,411 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MI (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $11,449 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.
CCS majors, earnings & careers
College for Creative Studies offers 8 bachelor's majors across 5 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Arts & Design · 4
- Communications & Media · 1
- Education · 1
- Engineering · 1
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at CCS
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design | $61,222 | $26,000 |
| Crafts / Craft Design, Folk Art and Artisanry | $41,739 | $30,620 |
| Film and Photography | $35,797 | $27,000 |
| Graphic Communications | $34,003 | $27,000 |
Quick list of all 8 majors
- Crafts / Craft Design, Folk Art and Artisanry$41,739
- Drafting / Design Engineering Technologies / Technicians—
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Film and Photography$35,797
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$61,222
- Graphic Communications$34,003
- Software and Media Applications—
- Studio Art—
— 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
Education (Subject Teaching) → High school teacher
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to shrink 0.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Detroit
Overall prices in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,459. Housing costs 5% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 30 inches of rain a year, 28 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (very high); river flooding (very high); heat wave (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Wayne County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Wayne County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare CCS with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Michigan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| College for Creative Studies | 92% | $34,617 | 71% | $44,860 | This school |
| Aquinas College | 90% | $16,626 | 65% | $49,584 | |
| Andrews University | 82% | $12,547 | 72% | $53,187 | |
| Kettering University | 79% | $34,660 | 71% | $94,823 | |
| Sacred Heart Major Seminary | 100% | $11,916 | 67% | $49,295 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
College for Creative Studies would cost you $17,991 more per year than Aquinas College, on average.
- Higher sticker price at College for Creative Studies, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$13,132).
- Aquinas College gives aided families $3,629 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Michigan resident | CCS | AQ | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $53,350 | $40,218 | +$13,132 |
| Books & supplies | $2,154 | $2,098 | +$56 |
| Housing & meals | $11,040 | $10,994 | +$46 |
| Personal & travel | $3,316 | $2,098 | +$1,218 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$3,846 | −$3,756 | −$90 |
| Sticker price | $66,014 | $51,652 | +$14,362 |
| Average grants | −$31,397 | −$35,026 | +$3,629 |
| You pay | $34,617 | $16,626 | +$17,991 |
“+” means CCS 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 CCS
What is the CCS acceptance rate?
College for Creative Studies accepts 92% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 1,050 of 1,132 applicants were admitted.
How much does College for Creative Studies cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $66,014 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $34,617 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $30,267 and families earning $110k+ pay $38,580.
How much do CCS graduates earn?
Former College for Creative Studies students earn a median $44,860 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the CCS graduation rate?
71% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 82% return for their second year.
How long does a CCS degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at College for Creative Studies costs about $148,383 after grants ($33,647 a year for 4.4 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $44,860 ten years after starting, $11,449 more than high school graduates in Michigan ($33,411), so the cost is repaid in 13.0 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: “College for Creative Studies: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/college-for-creative-studies (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).