This article will not tell you whether Otis is the right school for your child. No article can tell you that. What it can do is put you face-to-face, with official numbers, with exactly what this institution is: its size, its cost, who gets in, who stays, and what questions you need to ask before signing anything.
What kind of school it is
Otis is a private, nonprofit, four-year institution. The federal system that classifies U.S. colleges and universities—Carnegie—labels it as a school specialized in one field: art, music, and design. It is not a liberal arts university with twenty different departments. It is a school built around one discipline.
It is in Los Angeles, California, within Los Angeles County, in a large city of more than 250,000 residents. That tells you something important: this is not an isolated campus in a small town. It is a school located in a city. If your child plans to live at home, do not rely only on what the map says: drive the route yourself on a weekday, at the time they would have class. Los Angeles traffic does not follow what Google Maps says.
The highest level it reports offering is a master’s degree, not a doctorate. And although the general classification describes it as an institution offering “bachelor’s degrees or higher,” that does not tell you whether the specific major your child is interested in exists there, or whether it connects undergraduate and graduate study. You need to verify that program by program, not school by school.
A note on transfers, worth keeping in mind for when we get to the full topic later: the Carnegie system itself places Otis among schools that receive many transfer students. If your child plans to enroll here after studying somewhere else, ask in writing which courses will count and which will not. The label does not say how many credits students arrive with or how many they lose in the transition.
And one clarification that is worth making: Otis is not listed as a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. That does not say which communities it serves or how your child would feel there. You need to ask that directly by speaking with people who already study on campus.
The size of the community
Otis had 1,284 enrolled students in the most recent official fall count: 1,243 undergraduate students and only 41 graduate students. Above all, it is a bachelor’s-degree school. Compared with the other 941 selective private four-year schools, its size falls right in the middle: neither among the largest nor among the smallest.
Among undergraduates, 22 out of every 100 students reported being Hispanic or Latino. They are not a majority, but they are not unusual either: that proportion places it in the highest quarter among similar selective private schools. Keep one real limitation in mind here: that comparison is by school type, not by state, and it does not go down to the level of a specific major. It is a figure for the institution as a whole.
There are more women than men—69 out of every 100—and adults ages 25 to 64 are a minority, only 10 out of every 100. IPEDS does not report where newly enrolled students came from for this school in the most recent cycle. That information simply is not available.
One figure that is worth emphasizing: the student-to-instructional-staff ratio is 8 to 1, one of the lowest reported, in the lowest quarter compared with similar schools. But be careful about what this does not mean: a low ratio does not guarantee small classes. The figure relates full-time equivalents; it does not count seats in a classroom. If this matters in your decision, ask directly how many students are in first-year classes.
Academics: a school concentrated in one field
The academic year at Otis is organized by semesters, two terms of about 15 weeks. The school accepts credit for AP examinations, but did not indicate that it accepts credit for life experience, and it does not enroll high school students in courses for college credit.
Here is a hard truth that is worth its weight in gold before budgeting anything: saying they accept AP does not mean they grant credit for every exam. It does not say what scores they require or whether those credits apply to your child’s major. Request the credit-equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not count that savings in your mind until you have confirmation.
Between July 2022 and June 2023, Otis awarded 235 bachelor’s degrees. Of those, 222—that is, virtually all of them—were in visual and performing arts. Everything else combined does not even reach one out of every ten degrees. This is not a school with a broad catalog of options: it is a school built almost entirely around one family of majors.
That does not say whether it is the best option for your child, or anything about the specific major they are interested in. Ask about the exact program: request the curriculum, how many students graduated from it last year, and how easy it is to get the classes they need.
The institution also reports structured opportunities: study abroad, a program that can be completed entirely at night or on weekends, and pathways that prepare students for teacher certification (within and outside the institution itself). It is worth asking directly about the details of each if your child is interested.
Getting into Otis: what it requires, and what actually happens
Otis does not have open admission. Out of nine possible admission considerations, it marked three as required: the personal essay, a formal sample of the student’s work—a portfolio or skills examination—and an English-language proficiency examination for applicants who must take it. Put simply: it is not enough to gather paperwork. Your child has to write, and has to show what they can do.
Other pieces are not required but are considered if you submit them: high school transcript and grade-point average, the coursework completed, recommendation letters, and whether someone in the family studied there. Your child cannot change that last factor. If it does not apply, do not spend energy on it; spend it on what is within their control.
The published application fee is $50.
Now for the numbers from the most recent cycle. Out of 2,459 first-time applicants, 2,065 received an offer of admission: 84 out of every 100. Compared with similar selective private schools, this falls on the more accessible side—seven out of every ten similar schools, or more, accepted an equal or smaller percentage. That does not mean admission is automatic, and this figure is from a single cycle: when it is your child’s turn, check it again.
Here is the figure that really changes how you read this: out of every 100 admitted students, only 11 enrolled. One out of every nine people who received a yes ended up attending. Do not read that as a stain on the school—the federal record does not say why each person made the choice they did—but do not ignore it either: receiving the letter is not the same as deciding to attend. And what others decided tells you nothing about what they will offer you. Wait for your letter with the net price—what the year would actually cost—before deciding whether this school remains on the list.
The SAT and ACT are not required. Fewer than 1 out of every 100 enrolled students submitted an SAT score. That does not say whether the score was used for admission or scholarships; those are different questions.
And on transfers: in the most recent count, 124 undergraduate students entered Otis for the first time after studying at another institution. It is a count of people, not a proportion, and it places Otis in the upper half among similar schools that report this figure. How many credits they received is another question—and that is answered by the school itself.
The price: what it costs on paper
At Otis College of Art and Design, among 42 first-time, full-time students seeking a credential who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income of less than $30,000, the average net price was $40,358. Among 27 students in the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $43,733; among 56 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $52,546. For dependent students, the band adds their parents’ income and their own.
There is a difference of $12,188 between the average for the lower-income band (42 students) and that of the higher-income band (56 students). These are group averages, not a prediction of your family’s price. Among first-year students who received any scholarship, the average was $49,440.
Among the 937 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same time coverage, this school falls in the most expensive quarter for lower-income families. That does not mean it should be ruled out. It means you need to request the aid letter before deciding.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, correctly identifying yours is the first step. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time students seeking a credential who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or district rate. The overall average with scholarships, when it appears, describes first-time, full-time students seeking a credential who received federal, state, local, or institutional scholarships or grants. What governs is the aid letter you receive.
Aid and loans: who receives what
94 out of every 100 degree-seeking students receive some scholarship or aid that does not have to be repaid. Among those who receive it, the average was $22,394 per year. It is real money, but it is not a price: what matters is what remains after aid, and you only know that from your own letter.
Pell—the federal grant for lower-income families with demonstrated financial need—went to 31 out of every 100 students.
Regarding loans: 42 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal student loan. More than two out of every ten, but fewer than half. Among those who did borrow, the average for the year was $7,087. Compared with similar schools, this proportion falls on the lower side—seven out of every ten similar schools had more students with loans.
This percentage describes other families, not yours. And that average is only for one year, for federal loans in the student’s name: it does not include Parent PLUS, bank debt, credit cards, or debt accumulated by graduation. To determine that, you would need to add all years, and that figure does not appear in this report.
The institution also reports a tuition payment plan in installments, if that helps manage the cost.
Campus life, athletics, and support
Otis does have institution-owned housing, with reported capacity for 407 students on or off campus. It is not required for all first-time, full-time students—but that does not mean no program requires it. It also offers meal plans, with the number of meals varying by plan. Request in writing the year’s rate, the deadline, and whether you are guaranteed a place or placed on a waiting list.
Otis did not report any ROTC opportunities, participation in intercollegiate athletics, or affiliation with any national athletic association. If that matters in your child’s plan, do not cross it off the list without asking admissions directly: these fields report what was marked, not necessarily everything that exists.
It does offer distance education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, but in the most recent count, zero undergraduate students took their entire course load remotely. And in the specific question about fully online programs, it reported that it does not offer one in which all required courses can be completed remotely. Confirm this in writing if it is relevant to their major.
The library operates with paid staff and spending above the $100,000 threshold. It has a physical and digital collection, but reported that it does not have interlibrary loan service. If your child is entering a major that involves research, ask how they obtain materials that are not in its own collection.
The institution also reports combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services for graduates, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program, a point of contact for veterans and military personnel, and a web address for services for people with disabilities.
Those who stay and those who graduate
Of the cohort that entered as first-time, full-time students in 2022: 314 students began, and 229 were still enrolled or had already graduated one year later. That is 73 out of every 100. Compared with similar schools, it falls slightly below the middle of the group. The rest—85 people—do not appear in that official outcome, and the figure does not reveal where they went: not returning is not the same as dropping out. Someone who transferred and continued studying elsewhere counts the same as someone who stopped studying.
On graduation: of 203 students who started a bachelor’s degree in 2017, full-time and for the first time, 123 had graduated from Otis within six years. That is 61 out of every 100. Within four years, the figure drops to 52 out of every 100—a difference of nine points. Compared with similar schools, it is above the group median.
Be clear about whom this count follows: only those who entered for the first time and full-time. It does not include transfer students or part-time students. And a missing line in the data does not become zero: you cannot claim transfer, a pause, or withdrawal based on what is missing.
A longer look, at eight years: of a cohort of 333 students who entered between 2015 and 2016—combining first-time students and those who already had postsecondary experience, full-time and part-time—71 out of every 100 had earned an Otis degree or certificate as of August 2023. Among those who received a Pell Grant, the figure rose to 75 out of every 100, seven points above the group without Pell. Compared with similar schools, Otis is above the median.
A high percentage is not a promise for your child. It describes an earlier cohort, with its own context. It is worth asking about the program’s current supports and results for more recent cohorts.
Putting the pieces together
Otis College of Art and Design is a small, highly concentrated school: almost everything it awards is in visual and performing arts. It is relatively accessible in its acceptance rate, but very few admitted students ultimately enroll—which says more about how each family compares several offers than about the school’s quality. It is expensive at the list price, and it remains among the most expensive even after aid for lower-income families. And its graduation results, viewed at six and eight years, are above the median among similar schools.
None of these facts, on its own, decides anything for you. You now know in depth one of the pieces you need to decide: what this institution is, according to its own official data. Combine it with what your child wants to do with their art, what they have already built in their portfolio, and what your family can and is willing to pay. That combination, not any single figure, is where the plan begins.
If you are just building the list: ask your child how far away they imagine living and how certain they are about their path in visual arts. If they have already applied: wait for the aid letter before making any decision about the price. If money is the biggest concern: start with the FAFSA, not the list price.
Source note: the information in this article comes from official data reported by the institution to the U.S. Department of Education’s IPEDS system, corresponding mainly to the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent Otis College of Art and Design or any government agency; this article organizes and explains public data to help families understand it.