Students at College For Creative Studies achieve better outcomes than low-income students at many peer institutions, particularly impressive given the financial challenges common in creative industries.
The college maintains strong completion rates and loan repayment performance, indicating graduates find sustainable paths in their chosen creative fields.
College For Creative Studies is a specialized private art and design institution in Detroit that serves students pursuing creative careers. While CCS ranks in the lower tier nationally for immediate financial returns, this reflects the nature of creative industries where career building often takes time and success depends heavily on portfolio development, networking, and entrepreneurial skills rather than traditional employment patterns.
The college enrolls about 28% Pell Grant recipients and 23% first-generation students, providing access to specialized creative education for students from diverse backgrounds. With a 70% six-year graduation rate, CCS demonstrates solid completion outcomes for an arts-focused institution. The college's location in Detroit offers unique opportunities in automotive design, digital media, and the city's growing creative economy.
As a small, specialized institution, CCS provides intensive, hands-on training in fields like commercial photography, animation, and interactive technology. Students should expect that creative careers often involve freelance work, project-based income, and longer timelines to establish financial stability compared to traditional professional fields.
College For Creative Studies focuses on preparing students for specific creative industry roles, with program outcomes reflecting the diverse nature of creative careers. Commercial Photography stands out as both the largest program and the strongest performer financially, graduating 168 students with median earnings of $43,798. This field offers relatively stable income opportunities through wedding photography, commercial work, and digital media projects.
Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics, and Special Effects represents a growing field with 55 graduates earning around $23,207 in early career positions. While starting salaries appear modest, this field offers substantial upside potential as professionals gain experience and move into senior roles at gaming companies, film studios, or start their own creative ventures. The relatively low early earnings reflect the entry-level nature of many positions in competitive creative industries.
As a focused creative institution, CCS graduates enter fields where success depends heavily on portfolio quality, networking, and entrepreneurial skills. The college's Detroit location provides unique opportunities in automotive design, digital media, and the city's growing creative economy, offering students access to internships and career opportunities that may not be reflected in traditional salary data but provide valuable industry experience.
Graduates of College For Creative Studies face the financial realities common to creative industries, where career trajectories differ significantly from traditional professional fields. Ten years after enrollment, graduates earn a median of $44,860, which reflects the project-based, freelance-heavy nature of many creative careers. Earnings in creative fields often start modestly but can grow substantially as professionals build their portfolios, client bases, and industry recognition over time.
Program outcomes vary considerably by specialization. Commercial Photography, the college's largest program with 168 graduates, produces median earnings of $43,798 and represents the strongest aggregate return among CCS programs. Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics, and Special Effects graduates earn around $23,207 early in their careers, though this field often sees significant earning potential as professionals gain experience and move into senior creative roles or start their own studios. These early-career figures reflect the typical pattern in creative industries, where initial positions often serve as stepping stones to higher-paying freelance work or creative leadership roles.
Creative careers require different financial planning than traditional employment paths. Many CCS graduates work as freelancers, start their own design studios, or combine multiple income streams, which can lead to variable but potentially substantial long-term earnings that aren't fully captured in traditional employment data.
College For Creative Studies carries higher costs typical of specialized private art institutions, with net prices that challenge many families. Low-income students pay about $29,648 annually, middle-income families face costs around $32,467, and higher-income families pay approximately $37,605. These prices place CCS among the more expensive options nationally, reflecting the specialized facilities, equipment, and small class sizes that characterize intensive creative education.
The debt picture requires careful consideration given the financial realities of creative careers. Typical graduates leave with $26,000 in federal student loans, while families often rely heavily on Parent PLUS loans averaging $40,504. This combination creates substantial total debt loads that can be challenging to service on the variable incomes common in creative fields. However, the college maintains a 0% federal loan default rate, suggesting that graduates generally find ways to manage their obligations even within the constraints of creative industry economics.
Families considering CCS should plan carefully for the financial commitment, understanding that creative careers often involve building income gradually through portfolio development, networking, and entrepreneurial ventures rather than immediate high salaries after graduation.
College For Creative Studies Hub Overview
Executive summary with admissions, cost, outcomes, and program analysis
