Car designers from Detroit to Munich trace their training to a hillside in Pasadena. ArtCenter College of Design, founded in Los Angeles in 1930, is a private art and design school with a Hillside Campus in the San Rafael Hills and a South Campus downtown in a converted wind tunnel. Terms run year-round. The workload is heavy.
Pasadena, California, United States
Official website: artcenter.edu
1930
Private art and design college
Hillside and South Campus, Pasadena
Transportation design
$50,000 – $56,000
Approximate, based on two terms a year
$20,000 – $26,000
Rent, food and local transport
Approximate figures for 2026-27, please verify. Fees change every year and vary by course, so check the latest amount on artcenter.edu before you apply.
BS Transportation Design
Bachelors DegreeDuration
48 Months
Intake
Sep, Jan, May
Exam Score
IELTS: 6.5, TOEFL: 80
BS Product Design
Bachelors DegreeDuration
48 Months
Intake
Sep, Jan, May
Exam Score
IELTS: 6.5, TOEFL: 80
BFA Illustration
Bachelors DegreeDuration
48 Months
Intake
Sep, Jan, May
Exam Score
IELTS: 6.5, TOEFL: 80
BFA Graphic Design
Bachelors DegreeDuration
48 Months
Intake
Sep, Jan, May
Exam Score
IELTS: 6.5, TOEFL: 80
MFA Media Design Practices
Masters DegreeDuration
24 Months
Intake
Sep
Exam Score
IELTS: 6.5, TOEFL: 80
Transportation design alumni working for carmakers around the world.
Year-round terms that let students finish sooner.
A steel-and-glass building by Craig Ellwood that bridges a ravine.
Transportation and product design alumni work at car companies, tech firms and design consultancies.
Illustration and entertainment design graduates join film, animation and game studios in Los Angeles.
Graduates can usually work in the US on OPT after finishing.
Undergrad
Rolling
Postgrad
Rolling
Undergrad
Rolling
Postgrad
Limited programmes
Undergrad
Rolling
Postgrad
Limited programmes
Pasadena is a leafy city at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains, home to Caltech and the Rose Bowl. The Hillside Campus is up in the hills, so students rely on a car or the shuttle between campuses.
Rent is high, as it is across the Los Angeles area. Downtown LA is about 20 minutes away on the Metro A Line.
Form I-20 issued by ArtCenter College of Design
Proof of funds for one academic year
SEVIS I-901 fee payment receipt
Completed DS-160 online application
US embassy or consulate interview
Passport valid six months beyond stay
ArtCenter admits students for fall, spring and summer terms, with a deadline for each. Your portfolio carries the most weight, so leave time to build it, and apply early so the I-20 arrives in time.
New students can start in fall (September), spring (January) or summer (May), depending on the major.
International students come in on an F-1 visa. The I-20 comes from ArtCenter College of Design after you confirm your place and show you can cover a year of costs; you then pay the SEVIS fee, fill in the DS-160 and book your consulate interview.
Transportation design, product design, illustration, graphic design and entertainment design are popular. Admission depends mainly on your portfolio, with TOEFL 80 or IELTS 6.5 for non-native English speakers.
ArtCenter offers merit and need-based scholarships, and international students are eligible for many of them. Merit awards are usually assessed with your portfolio at admission.
