Financial support and scholarships

CalArts is committed to ensuring that, for most CCA students, the total cost of attendance (tuition, fees, and room and board) for the 2026–27 academic year will be no greater than what you would have incurred at CCA. To achieve this, CalArts will provide institutional scholarships, grants, and other forms of aid to maintain parity with your current cost of attendance.

For a small number of students with the highest levels of financial support at CCA, additional coordination may be required. CCA and CalArts will work together to identify options to support these students to the extent feasible.

Scholarship Matching: Teach-out partners base their financial aid and scholarship matches on your standard, baseline CCA institutional aid. One-time institutional aid such as the CCA Legacy Award ($5,000 for undergraduate students and $2,500 for graduate students), financial aid petitions, or other non-renewable aid is not factored into the teach-out matching calculations at any partner institution.

Students who are eligible to submit a FAFSA are encouraged to do so by April 1, 2027, in order to be considered for the full range of financial aid. Students who express interest in CalArts can expect to receive a detailed financial aid offer outlining their total financial aid package and cost of attendance.

Housing

CalArts offers on-campus and off-campus housing options. On-campus housing is subject to availability. Students will receive information about housing options and costs as part of their financial aid and enrollment process.

Residency requirement waiver

CalArts will waive its standard residency requirements for transferring CCA students. This means you can complete your degree without needing to meet CalArts’s minimum residency requirement (minimum units taken at CalArts), once all other graduation requirements are satisfied.

Streamlined admissions and waived fees

CalArts will admit CCA students in good academic standing into aligned programs without requiring a personal statement, essay, or portfolio. The primary exception is that, to join the BFA in Character Animation, a portfolio and artist statement is required to be considered for admission. In limited additional cases, such as students applying from outside the established program mappings, CalArts may request a portfolio to confirm appropriate program placement.

Students who are not in good academic standing at the time of transfer can still be considered for admission, but will be asked to submit additional materials (such as a portfolio or personal statement) for review.

There is no application fee. An enrollment deposit is required to enroll, but it will be applied to your tuition or other charges.

Credit and general education transfer

CalArts will accept all earned CCA credits, including credits previously accepted by CCA from other institutions, and will work to apply those credits toward your degree program. In addition, CalArts will accept all CCA-approved grades for credit, even if they do not meet CalArts’s typical minimum grade thresholds.

If you have completed CCA’s general education requirements, you will be considered to have satisfied all CalArts General Education requirements. If you have completed some, but not all, of these requirements, your coursework will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

International students

CalArts will waive any additional English-language proficiency testing or documentation requirements for international students transferring under this agreement, recognizing that CCA has already confirmed English-language proficiency for full admission and enrollment.

Submit your teach-out application

California Institute of the Arts’ (CalArts) dedicated CCA teach-out application is now available.

CCA students in good standing will follow the streamlined admissions process outlined in the teach-out agreement.

A note about teach-out applications

Special teach-out applications have been designed by our teach-out partners to provide you a streamlined path straight to an official admissions offer. These applications are not like standard college applications that require complex submission steps and drawn-out evaluations of your record for admission decisions. Instead, these simplified applications ask for some basic information from you so teach-out partners can generate your admissions offer, detail how your credits transfer, and map out your path to graduation.

Submitting an application does not commit you to enrolling at CalArts. Students may apply to more than one teach-out institution while exploring their options before making a final decision.

Once you submit your complete application, CCA will provide your academic records to CalArts—unless you previously authorized record sharing through the interest form, in which case those records have already been transmitted. If you attended another college or university before CCA, CalArts may also ask you to request official transcripts directly from those institutions.

Start your CalArts Teach-Out Application

Admissions and enrollment timeline

The timeline below provides an overview of the admissions and enrollment process. Some requirements may vary depending on your academic program, financial aid eligibility, housing plans, or international student status. Contact CalArt’s admissions office (see contact info below) with any questions.

• August 4, 2026 - Application opens: CalArt’s dedicated CCA teach-out application opens.
• Fall 2026 - Official transcripts (if applicable): If you previously attended another college or university, CalArts may ask you to request official transcripts directly from those institutions.
• Character Animation - Portfolio review (if applicable): Students applying to Character Animation may be asked to submit additional portfolio materials. Additional program-specific requirements will be communicated by CalArts if applicable.
• Fall, 2026 - Information sessions: Attend an CalArts information session at CCA. Session times and registration information will be shared as they become available.
• October 1, 2026 - FAFSA opens: Submit the 2027–28 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as possible, designating CalArts as a recipient.
• February–March 2027 - Financial aid offer: CalArts expects to provide admitted students with their financial aid offer and estimated cost of attendance during this period.
• Mid-March–May 31, 2027 - Housing application: Students interested in campus housing should submit their housing application during this period. Housing and enrollment deposits are waived for CCA teach-out students.
• March 15, 2027 - SEVIS records transfer: F-1 international students should request transfer of their SEVIS record beginning on this date, with a SEVIS record release date after CCA classes end on May 10, 2027, and before CalArts classes begin. CalArts and CCA’s International Student Services team will provide instructions to affected students.
• Date to be announced - Campus visit: CalArts will share information about opportunities to visit campus as details become available.
  
  

Need help planning your transition?

If you would like assistance comparing programs, understanding transfer pathways, reviewing timelines, or discussing your options, schedule an appointment with a Transition Hub counselor.

Dates and requirements may change as CalArts finalizes its Fall 2027 processes. This page will be updated as additional information becomes available.

Virtual info session

Thursday, April 16, 2:45–3:30 pm
View session recording