Design Institute of San Diego vs. NCA

Deciding between Design Institute of San Diego and Northwest College of Art & Design? The table below shows tuition, aid, admissions, and outcomes side by side. Data comes from public sources across more than 3,000 U.S. colleges and universities. No account is required.

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  • Overview

  • Location
  • Design Institute of San Diego San Diego, CA
  • NCA Tacoma, WA
  • Setting
  • Design Institute of San Diego Large City
  • NCA Rural Fringe
  • Total enrollment
  • Design Institute of San Diego 94
  • NCA 139
  • Type
  • Design Institute of San Diego Private 4 Year
  • NCA Private 4 Year
  • National Ranking
  • Design Institute of San Diego
  • NCA
  • Religious Affiliation
  • Design Institute of San Diego -
  • NCA -
  • Status
  • Design Institute of San Diego For-profit
  • NCA For-profit
  • Team Colors
  • Design Institute of San Diego
  • NCA

  • Cost

  • Tuition (In State)
  • Design Institute of San Diego $29,300
  • NCA $18,100
  • Tuition (Out of State)
  • Design Institute of San Diego $29,300
  • NCA $18,100
  • Room & Board
  • Design Institute of San Diego $22,086
  • NCA $15,384
  • Average Net Price
  • Design Institute of San Diego $44,010
  • NCA $14,818
  • Average Grant Aid
  • Design Institute of San Diego $11,901
  • NCA $14,406
  • % Receiving Grant Aid
  • Design Institute of San Diego 100%
  • NCA 87%

  • Admissions

  • Applied
  • Design Institute of San Diego 7
  • NCA 97
  • Admitted
  • Design Institute of San Diego 7
  • NCA 64
  • Acceptance Rate
  • Design Institute of San Diego 100% Open
  • NCA 66%
  • Enrolled
  • Design Institute of San Diego 28.6% Open
  • NCA 40.6%
  • Typical SAT score
  • Design Institute of San Diego
  • NCA
  • Typical ACT score
  • Design Institute of San Diego
  • NCA
  • Average High School GPA
  • Design Institute of San Diego -
  • NCA -
  • Typical High School Grades
  • Design Institute of San Diego -
  • NCA -
  • Admissions Standards
  • Design Institute of San Diego Unavailable
  • NCA Unavailable
  • Applicant Competition
  • Design Institute of San Diego
  • NCA Low
  • ACT Range
  • Design Institute of San Diego
  • NCA
  • SAT Range
  • Design Institute of San Diego
  • NCA
  • Submit Test Scores
  • Design Institute of San Diego Open admission
  • NCA Test-free
  • Application Deadline
  • Design Institute of San Diego
  • NCA

  • Academics

  • Student to Faculty Ratio
  • Design Institute of San Diego 8:1
  • NCA 34:1
  • Popular Majors
  • Design Institute of San Diego
    • Visual and Performing Arts (100%)
  • NCA
    • Visual and Performing Arts (100%)

  • Outcomes

  • Graduation Rate
  • Design Institute of San Diego 62%
  • NCA 67%
  • Median Earnings (After 10 years)
  • Design Institute of San Diego $38,900
  • NCA $29,600
  • Making Student Loan Payments
  • Design Institute of San Diego 68%
  • NCA 47%
  • Median Student Loan Debt
  • Design Institute of San Diego $40,585
  • NCA $31,000
  • Median Loan Payment
  • Design Institute of San Diego $419
  • NCA $320

  • Diversity

  • % Men
  • Design Institute of San Diego 9%
  • NCA 32%
  • % Women
  • Design Institute of San Diego 91%
  • NCA 68%
  • Racial Diversity
  • Design Institute of San Diego High
  • NCA Low
  • HBCU
  • Design Institute of San Diego No
  • NCA No
  • % White
  • Design Institute of San Diego 58%
  • NCA 80%
  • % Asian
  • Design Institute of San Diego 9%
  • NCA 3%
  • % Black
  • Design Institute of San Diego 7%
  • NCA 4%
  • % Hispanic
  • Design Institute of San Diego 17%
  • NCA 4%
  • % Native American
  • Design Institute of San Diego 1%
  • NCA 6%
  • % Pacific Islander
  • Design Institute of San Diego 1%
  • NCA 3%
  • % Two or More Races
  • Design Institute of San Diego 0%
  • NCA 0%
  • % International
  • Design Institute of San Diego 7%
  • NCA 0%
  • % Unknown Race
  • Design Institute of San Diego 1%
  • NCA 0%

  • Students

  • % In-State
  • Design Institute of San Diego 100%
  • NCA 96%
  • % Out-of-State
  • Design Institute of San Diego 0%
  • NCA 4%

  • Campus

  • Campus Housing
  • Design Institute of San Diego No
  • NCA No
  • Freshman Dorm Required
  • Design Institute of San Diego No
  • NCA No
  • Meal Plan
  • Design Institute of San Diego No
  • NCA No
  • Weekend/Evening Classes
  • Design Institute of San Diego Yes
  • NCA No
  • Daycare Facility
  • Design Institute of San Diego No
  • NCA No

Comparable Facts

Compare Design Institute of San Diego in San Diego, CA with Northwest College of Art & Design in Tacoma, WA on tuition, admissions, graduation, earnings, and student body data using the table above.

Northwest College of Art & Design is larger than Design Institute of San Diego based on total student enrollment (139 students vs. 94 students)

Location, institution type, and student-faculty ratio

  • Design Institute of San Diego is located in San Diego, CA (Large City setting); Northwest College of Art & Design is in Tacoma, WA (Rural Fringe setting).
  • Design Institute of San Diego is a private, for-profit 4-year institution. Northwest College of Art & Design is a private, for-profit 4-year institution.
  • Student-to-faculty ratio: Design Institute of San Diego 8:1; Northwest College of Art & Design 34:1.

Design Institute of San Diego vs. NCA Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Design Institute of San Diego or NCA? Published tuition is the sticker price; many students pay less after aid (see average net price below).

  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Northwest College of Art & Design than Design Institute of San Diego ($14,818 vs. $44,010).
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Northwest College of Art & Design are 30.3% lower than at Design Institute of San Diego ($15,384 vs. $22,086).
  • Design Institute of San Diego is 61.9% more expensive for in-state tuition than NCA (about $11,200 more per year; $29,300.00 vs. $18,100.00).
  • Out-of-state tuition is 61.9% higher at Design Institute of San Diego than at Northwest College of Art & Design (about $11,200 more per year; $29,300.00 vs. $18,100.00).
  • A larger share of students receive grant aid at Design Institute of San Diego than at Northwest College of Art & Design (100% vs. 87%).
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Northwest College of Art & Design students is 21% larger than aid received by Design Institute of San Diego students ($14,406 vs. $11,901).

Design Institute of San Diego vs. NCA Admissions comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Design Institute of San Diego or NCA? Typical SAT and ACT scores (same estimates as in the table above), middle 50% test ranges where reported, test score submission policy, deadlines, and acceptance rates summarize admission difficulty between NCA and Design Institute of San Diego.

  • Design Institute of San Diego reports an open admissions policy.
  • Submitting SAT or ACT scores: Design Institute of San Diego - Open admission; NCA - Test-free.
  • Design Institute of San Diego has a higher acceptance rate (100%) than NCA (66%).
  • The share of admitted students who enrolled (yield) is 28.6% at Design Institute of San Diego vs. 40.6% at NCA.

Design Institute of San Diego vs. NCA Graduation Outcomes Comparison

How do outcomes compare for Design Institute of San Diego and NCA? Graduation rate, earnings, and student loan debt are common indicators. The bullets below summarize the same federal outcomes fields as the comparison table (College Scorecard / IPEDS where applicable).

  • Northwest College of Art & Design's six-year graduation rate (67%) is higher than Design Institute of San Diego's (62%).
  • Graduates from Design Institute of San Diego earn a median of about $9,300 more per year than NCA graduates about ten years after starting college ($38,900 vs. $29,600), per the same Scorecard earnings definition.
  • Among federal student loan borrowers, Northwest College of Art & Design graduates have a $9,585 lower median loan debt than Design Institute of San Diego graduates ($31,000 vs. $40,585).
  • Among borrowers, NCA graduates have an estimated $99 lower median monthly federal student loan payment than Design Institute of San Diego graduates ($320 vs. $419).
  • More Design Institute of San Diego graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former NCA students, three years after graduation. (68% vs. 47%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/. Values reflect the most recent year available in our dataset.