undergradly.
For-profit College

California Institute
of Arts & Technology

For-profit College in National City, CA. Six-year graduation rate 56%.

Verdict Profile in progress
California Institute of Arts & Technology · Campus
Median debt at grad
$22,209
Graduation rate
56.1%
Federal loan default
0%

Six-year completion sits at 56%, near the national average for undergraduate institutions. Graduates carry a median of $22,209 in debt — in line with the national norm.

Green Flags
  • 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Red Flags

Academics

Full-time retention
63%
Transfer-out rate
0%
Student:faculty
15:1

Six-year completion sits at 56%, meaning about two in five students who enroll leave without finishing. 63% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about two in five are gone before sophomore year. The 15:1 student-faculty ratio is small enough that seminar-sized classes are the norm. Being a for-profit four-year institution is the single most useful context for these numbers — the sector's spread is wide enough that the school-level figures matter more than usual. This is a small school — 558 undergraduates — so cohorts are tight and the program list is necessarily short.

Financial Aid

Average net price
$32,034
Full-time, first-time undergraduates paying the in-state rate who were awarded grant or scholarship aid
% receiving grants
32%
degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
% receiving federal loans
8%
degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 558 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates

Net price averages $32,034 annually, so cost is the first thing to weigh here. Net price varies modestly by income — $32,923 at $0–30k against $34,811 at $75–110k — so the average is a fair guide for most families. Only 32% of students receive grant aid, so most families are paying near the published price. Federal borrowing is uncommon here at 8% of students.

Entering first-year students

A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.

% receiving grants
51%
Average grant
$7,194

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 234 students

Net price by family income

The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.

Family income band Average net price
$0–30k $32,923
$30–48k $31,973
$48–75k $31,903
$75–110k $34,811
$110k+

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24

Federal student loans went to 47 of these 558 students, totalling $400,706 — an average of $8,526 each.

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24

Local housing costs

Typical rents near campus (San Diego County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.

Studio
$2,288/mo
1 bedroom
$2,459/mo
2 bedroom (whole unit)
$3,001/mo

HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026

Veterans & GI Bill

GI Bill students
1,941
Yellow Ribbon
Yes
Principles of Excellence
Yes

VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)

Compare California Institute of Arts & Technology with peer institutions

How we evaluate California Institute of Arts & Technology

IPEDS
US Department of Education
College Scorecard
Post-grad earnings
Census PSEO
Earnings by major
Opportunity Insights
Mobility by institution
Read our full methodology →