More selective than 37% of Georgia colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $63,627. College Scorecard.
Higher than 85% of Georgia colleges we cover and 78% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 45% of Georgia colleges we cover and 29% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
SCAD acceptance rate & admissions
Of 14,931 applicants, Savannah College of Art and Design admitted 12,495 and 3,651 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1030–1270 on the SAT or 21–28 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
SCAD 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 SCAD costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Savannah College of Art and Design 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 Georgia. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $44,858 | $192,441 | 15.5 years |
| $30–48k | $45,198 | $193,899 | 15.6 years |
| $48–75k | $48,668 | $208,786 | 16.8 years |
| $75–110k | $51,558 | $221,184 | 17.8 years |
| $110k+ | $52,147 | $223,711 | 18.0 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (53% 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 ($45,954) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in GA (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $12,438 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.
SCAD majors, earnings & careers
Savannah College of Art and Design offers 20 bachelor's majors across 8 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Engineering · 5
- Arts & Design · 4
- Communications & Media · 3
- Humanities & Languages · 2
- Science & Math · 2
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 2
- Business & Finance · 1
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at SCAD
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Family and Consumer Sciences / Human Sciences Business Services | $128,600 | — |
| Human Computer Interaction | $113,397 | $24,500 |
| Broadcasting / Digital Media | $64,076 | $27,000 |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | $64,052 | $24,643 |
| Apparel and Textiles | $55,925 | $26,916 |
| Writing | $48,189 | $26,000 |
| Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design | $45,923 | $27,000 |
| Graphic Communications | $43,058 | $26,748 |
Quick list of all 20 majors
- Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services—
- Apparel and Textiles$55,925
- Architectural History, Criticism, and Conservation—
- Architectural Sciences and Technology$64,052
- Audiovisual Communications Technologies / Technicians$26,064
- Broadcasting / Digital Media$64,076
- Drafting / Design Engineering Technologies / Technicians—
- Engineering—
- Family and Consumer Sciences / Human Sciences Business Services$128,600
- Film and Photography$41,651
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$45,923
- Graphic Communications$43,058
- Historic Preservation and Conservation—
- Human Computer Interaction$113,397
- Management Science / Analytics—
- Manufacturing Engineering—
- Studio Art$41,153
- Systems Science and Theory—
- Theatre$35,177
- Writing$48,189
— 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
Management Science / Analytics → Operations research analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 11.9% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Savannah
Overall prices in the Savannah, GA area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,679. Housing costs 14% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 52 inches of rain a year, almost no snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: hurricane (very high); coastal flooding (very high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Chatham County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Chatham County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare SCAD with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Georgia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Savannah College of Art and Design | 83% | $49,430 | 69% | $45,954 | This school |
| Covenant College | 87% | $26,265 | 71% | $50,412 | |
| Mercer University | 69% | $23,847 | 70% | $58,354 | |
| Oglethorpe University | 88% | $19,509 | 54% | $55,232 | |
| Berry College | 64% | $22,320 | 69% | $53,800 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Savannah College of Art and Design would cost you $23,165 more per year than Covenant College, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Savannah College of Art and Design, mostly from higher housing & meal costs (+$5,221).
- Covenant College gives aided families $17,005 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Georgia resident | SCAD | Covenant College | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $41,630 | $42,040 | −$410 |
| Books & supplies | $2,025 | $1,170 | +$855 |
| Housing & meals | $17,493 | $12,272 | +$5,221 |
| Personal & travel | $4,224 | $4,106 | +$118 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$1,745 | −$2,121 | +$376 |
| Sticker price | $63,627 | $57,467 | +$6,160 |
| Average grants | −$14,197 | −$31,202 | +$17,005 |
| You pay | $49,430 | $26,265 | +$23,165 |
“+” means SCAD 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 SCAD
What is the SCAD acceptance rate?
Savannah College of Art and Design accepts 83% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 12,495 of 14,931 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1030–1270 on the SAT or 21–28 on the ACT.
How much does Savannah College of Art and Design cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $63,627 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $49,430 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $44,858 and families earning $110k+ pay $52,147.
How much do SCAD graduates earn?
Former Savannah College of Art and Design students earn a median $45,954 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the SCAD graduation rate?
69% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 86% return for their second year.
How long does a SCAD degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Savannah College of Art and Design costs about $208,786 after grants ($48,668 a year for 4.3 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $45,954 ten years after starting, $12,438 more than high school graduates in Georgia ($33,516), so the cost is repaid in 16.8 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: “Savannah College of Art and Design: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/savannah-college-of-art-and-design (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).