College for Creative Studies
College for Creative Studies is a private nonprofit college in Detroit, MI, with about 1,399 students on campus.
College for Creative Studies, in brief
Easy to get into, and most students finish
College for Creative Studies admits 92% of applicants, yet 71% of students graduate, more than at 79% of 4-year colleges. Outcomes ↓
Lower-income families pay more here than at most colleges
Families earning under $30,000 still pay about $30,267 a year after grants. The average family on aid pays $34,617, more than at 91% of 4-year colleges. What it costs ↓
What you study here makes a big difference to pay
Among College for Creative Studies’ biggest bachelor’s programs, design and applied arts graduates earn a median $61,222 four years out. Graphic communications graduates earn $34,003. Majors ↓
College for Creative Studies focuses on visual and performing arts
41% of the degrees College for Creative Studies awards are in visual and performing arts; the next biggest field, communications technology, is 26%. Majors ↓
This summary is written from the data on this page. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.
Do students finish, and does it pay off?
Debt vs. the paycheck
The typical loan payment as a share of a typical graduate’s monthly pay six years after starting
$276 a month against about $2,808 a month in pay.
Paying back loans
Federal student loans, this college
of borrowers paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 69% of U.S. colleges.
Almost none defaulted within three years (payments on federal loans were paused from 2020 to 2023, so recent default rates are near zero everywhere).
Earnings by family background
Median earnings 10 years after starting, by family income at enrollment
How hard is it to get into College for Creative Studies?
of applicants admitted
About 18 of every 20 applicants get in.
Test scores of admitted students
No SAT or ACT ranges reported. College for Creative Studies is likely test-optional and admits nearly everyone who applies.
The sticker price, and what families really pay
Sticker price: $66,014 a year
Before any grants
After grants, the average family on aid pays $34,617.
Your family’s price
Average net price after grants, by family income
About $134,588 over 4 years · 49% off the sticker price
What students study, and what it pays
Share of degrees by field
Bachelor’s programs with the most graduates
And their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year where that’s all that’s reported).
The students
1,230 degree-seeking undergraduates.
By race and ethnicity
Women and men
Living in Detroit
5% of Detroit’s 649,095 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Detroit pages.
Other colleges within 30 miles
Straight-line distances from College for Creative Studies; colleges with 100 or more students on campus.
Ask around
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (institution and field-of-study files) and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023); town figures from the Census American Community Survey and NOAA climate normals. Graduation rates count first-time, full-time students; earnings and debt are for students who received federal aid. Distances are straight-line. Colleges are described, not graded (how TownRatings describes colleges). Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.