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CCA Experience

For more than 100 years CCA has been one of the most prestigious art colleges in the country. We are deeply dedicated to tradition and innovation, as well as theory and practice. Our 20 undergraduate and seven graduate programs are all grounded in the unifying purpose of making art that matters.

CCA's faculty provides an educational experience that is bold and innovative, pushes boundaries while remaining socially responsible, and engaged in global community building.

Students are challenged to think beyond established boundaries in art, architecture, design, and writing to create innovative, purposeful, and thought-provoking work.

Two Campuses—One Dynamic College

CCA maintains two campuses: one in Oakland; the other in San Francisco. Each campus offers state-of-the art facilities and a stimulating environment to inspire our students' creativity.

The historic Oakland campus comprises four beautifully landscaped acres in the Rockridge district, just two miles south of University of California at Berkeley. The more urban San Francisco campus rests within the Potrero Hill neighborhood, in proximity to the city's design district and the University of California's biomedical research campus. The immediacy of both technology and artistry is inspiring.

Each CCA campus is connected by a free intercampus transportation service, in addition to readily accessible public transportation.

Oakland is home to our First Year Program, student housing, the Center for Art and Public Life, and the following undergraduate programs: Animation, Ceramics, Community Arts, Glass, Jewelry / Metal Arts, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Textiles, Visual Studies, and Writing and Literature.

The San Francisco campus houses the Wattis Institute for Contemporary Art, all seven graduate programs, and the following undergraduate programs: Architecture, Fashion Design, Furniture, Graphic Design, Illustration, Industrial Design, Interior Design, Media Arts, and Painting/Drawing.

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Financial Options

The college will partner with you and your family to plan a financial road map that makes possible your child's education here at CCA. Our financial aid program is designed to facilitate all students reaching their creative potential.

In 2008–9 the college awarded more than $13 million in college-funded scholarships and over $32 million in combined scholarships, grants, loans, and employment. More than 76 percent of the college's undergraduate students and 80 percent of our graduate students receive some kind of college-funded merit- or need-based scholarship.

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Prepare for the Future

CCA is committed to seeing your child succeed academically now and professionally after graduation. Our annual Career Expo illustrates well our dedication to ensuring students start preparing now for their future.

The Career Services Office provides numerous resources to assist students in shaping their unique career path. The Oakland and San Francisco campuses each offer a career resource area where students and alumni can browse books, review sample résumés, and receive job-search instructional handouts.

Students who require assistance getting started, setting goals, writing a résumé, and devising a job-search strategy are encouraged to make an appointment with a Career Services counselor who will work with students to map a strategy for success.

Many of the college's academic programs offer company-sponsored studio opportunities that allow students to collaborate with real-world industry professionals. Students also are encouraged (required, in select programs) to undertake internships at local design firms, museums, publishers, and other artistic-based venues where exposure to innovative minds is plentiful, allowing students to gain valuable professional experience.

See a partial list of job websites, categorized by disciplines, CCA makes available to students via Career Services.

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Application Process

CCA takes an individualized approach to its admissions process, taking into consideration the academic, artistic, and personal attributes of each applicant.

The Admissions Office reviews applications on a rolling basis (meaning in the order received)—and continues to accept applications, admit students, and award financial aid after the priority deadlines have passed. (Priority deadlines are those dates by which applicants are encouraged to submit all documentation in order to receive first consideration for admissions and merit scholarships.)

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Important Dates

• October 1: Spring priority application deadline (notification begins the first week of November)
• February 1: Fall priority application deadline (notification begins first week of March). Note: all applications received by this date will be considered for merit scholarships.
• March 2: Fall priority FAFSA deadline (notification by the end of March through mid-April)
• May 1: National candidate reply deadline (students must notify all the colleges they applied of their intention to enroll)

Should your daughter or son be admitted to CCA, please see the admitted student section for details regarding timelines and next procedures in the enrollment process.

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Housing

For first-year and transfer students CCA offers a variety of housing options on or near our Oakland campus, including various themed communities: First-Year Community, Artists for Community (AFC), Artists' Retreat Community (ARC) and the International and Multicultural Community (IMC).

The Housing Office also maintains an online list of those CCA students who are seeking shared living, as well as other housing opportunities, near campus.

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Safety, Health & Well-being

Safety is a priority at CCA. Our Public Safety Department patrols each campus 24 hours a day, seven days a week. While on campus all students, faculty, and staff must wear their CCA identification badge at all times. Public safety also offers an escort program, lost-and-found services, crime-prevention programs, bicycle safety supplies, medical assistance, and procedures for responding to emergencies and incidents that involve injuries or criminal activities.

Our students' emotional health and well-being is as important as their physical safety. The college offers a variety of services, including student health insurance (PDF) and professional, free of charge counseling appointments. Counseling staff members offer crisis intervention, psychiatric assessment, referrals to community resources, as well as outreach programs on such topics as managing critiques, coping with depression, and working through creative blocks.

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