More selective than 74% of Oregon colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $70,376. College Scorecard.
Higher than 0% of Oregon colleges we cover and 12% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 0% of Oregon colleges we cover and 4% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
PNCA acceptance rate & admissions
Of 658 applicants, Pacific Northwest College of Art admitted 451 and 119 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
PNCA 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 PNCA costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Pacific Northwest College of Art took 4.3 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 Oregon. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $28,219 | $121,342 | no earnings gain |
| $30–48k | $30,517 | $131,223 | no earnings gain |
| $48–75k | $30,916 | $132,939 | no earnings gain |
| $75–110k | $36,998 | $159,091 | no earnings gain |
| $110k+ | $44,522 | $191,445 | no earnings gain |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (33% 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 ($34,883) minus $36,549 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in OR (Census ACS 2020-2024). 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.
PNCA majors, earnings & careers
Pacific Northwest College of Art offers 6 bachelor's majors across 2 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Arts & Design · 5
- Humanities & Languages · 1
Highest-earning majors at PNCA
Not enough graduates in any one major to report earnings.
Quick list of all 6 majors
- Crafts / Craft Design, Folk Art and Artisanry—
- Film and Photography—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design—
- Studio Art—
- Visual and Performing Arts—
- Writing—
— 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 Portland
Overall prices in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,878. Housing costs 25% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 44 inches of rain a year, 4 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: river flooding (relatively high); heat wave (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Multnomah County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Multnomah County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare PNCA with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Oregon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Northwest College of Art | 75% | $35,785 | 29% | $34,883 | This school |
| Warner Pacific University | 71% | $25,629 | 49% | $55,204 | |
| Bushnell University | 67% | $20,789 | 56% | $53,623 | |
| Warner Pacific University Professional and Graduate Studies | 59% | — | — | $55,204 | |
| Willamette University | 77% | $25,121 | 71% | $56,911 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Pacific Northwest College of Art would cost you $10,156 more per year than Warner Pacific University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Pacific Northwest College of Art, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$26,786).
- Pacific Northwest College of Art gives aided families $21,272 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Oregon resident | PNCA | Warner Pacific University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $49,006 | $22,220 | +$26,786 |
| Books & supplies | $1,358 | $142 | +$1,216 |
| Housing & meals | $18,912 | $14,222 | +$4,690 |
| Personal & travel | $2,980 | $2,894 | +$86 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$1,880 | −$530 | −$1,350 |
| Sticker price | $70,376 | $38,948 | +$31,428 |
| Average grants | −$34,591 | −$13,319 | −$21,272 |
| You pay | $35,785 | $25,629 | +$10,156 |
“+” means PNCA 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 PNCA
What is the PNCA acceptance rate?
Pacific Northwest College of Art accepts 75% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 451 of 658 applicants were admitted.
How much does Pacific Northwest College of Art cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $70,376 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $35,785 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $28,219 and families earning $110k+ pay $44,522.
How much do PNCA graduates earn?
Former Pacific Northwest College of Art students earn a median $34,883 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the PNCA graduation rate?
29% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 69% return for their second year.
Is PNCA the right fit for your family?
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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: “Pacific Northwest College of Art: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/pacific-northwest-college-of-art (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).