Acceptance Rate and Application Statistics
The following table compares the admission related statistics including number of applicants, admitted, and enrolled between best Industrial Design schools. The average acceptance rate of best Industrial Design schools is 49.22% and the average admission yield (enrollment rate) is 22.99%.
Carnegie Mellon University has the tighest (lowest) acceptance rate of 11.66% and Carnegie Mellon University has the highest yield (enrollment rate) of 45.67% among best Industrial Design schools. The numbers in parenthesis() in below table represent the number and rate by gender (men/women). The statistics is based on the latest data from IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education for academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Applicants | Admitted | Enrolled | Acceptance Rate | Enrollment Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island School of Design | 6,692 (1,406/5,279) | 1,249 (287/962) | 518 (134/384) | 19% (20%/18%) | 41% (47%/7%) |
| 2 | Art Center College of Design | 1,461 (432/1,029) | 1,089 (302/787) | 343 (125/218) | 75% (70%/76%) | 31% (41%/21%) |
| 3 | Carnegie Mellon University | 33,941 (20,143/12,734) | 3,959 (1,973/1,870) | 1,808 (974/780) | 12% (10%/15%) | 46% (49%/6%) |
| 4 | Cranbrook Academy of Art | No admission statistics available for the school. | ||||
| 5 | California College of the Arts | 2,371 (558/1,802) | 2,160 (489/1,662) | 172 (51/117) | 91% (88%/92%) | 8% (10%/6%) |
| 5 | Pratt Institute-Main | 8,457 (2,122/5,727) | 6,195 (1,455/4,298) | 1,135 (320/730) | 73% (69%/75%) | 18% (22%/13%) |
| 7 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 72,829 (35,783/37,046) | 44,116 (21,328/22,788) | 9,607 (4,582/5,025) | 61% (60%/62%) | 22% (21%/14%) |
| 8 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 27,911 (16,374/11,507) | 18,682 (10,916/7,742) | 3,042 (1,954/1,081) | 67% (67%/67%) | 16% (18%/9%) |
| 8 | School of Visual Arts | 3,140 (731/2,409) | 2,909 (652/2,257) | 604 (142/462) | 93% (89%/94%) | 21% (22%/19%) |
| 10 | School of the Art Institute of Chicago | 6,626 (1,373/5,235) | 5,133 (995/4,125) | 604 (133/471) | 77% (72%/79%) | 12% (13%/9%) |
| 10 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 73,742 (41,597/32,124) | 31,247 (15,134/16,102) | 9,008 (4,538/4,469) | 42% (36%/50%) | 29% (30%/14%) |
| Average | 23,717 (12,052/12,052) | 11,674 (5,353/6,259) | 2,684 (1,295/1,374) | 49.22% (44.4%/51.9%) | 22.99% (24.2%/21.9%) | |
SAT Scores Comparison
The average SAT score of best Industrial Design schools is 1404. By subject, the average score of the SAT EBRW(Evidence-based Reading and Writing) is 693 and the average SAT Math score is 711.
Carnegie Mellon University has the highest SAT scores of 1,540 and Pratt Institute-Main has the lowest SAT scores of 1,280 among best Industrial Design schools. The following table compares SAT Scores between best Industrial Design schools for the academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Submit%* (Submit#**) | SAT Total | Evidence-Based Reading and Writing | Math |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island School of Design | 15% (80) | 1480 | 720 | 760 |
| 2 | Art Center College of Design | Test Score is NOT considered for Art Center College of Design admission. | |||
| 3 | Carnegie Mellon University | 53% (951) | 1540 | 750 | 790 |
| 4 | Cranbrook Academy of Art | No data is available. | |||
| 5 | California College of the Arts | Test Score is NOT considered for California College of the Arts admission. | |||
| 5 | Pratt Institute-Main | 16% (177) | 1280 | 650 | 630 |
| 7 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 17% (1,615) | 1400 | 680 | 720 |
| 8 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 40% (1,212) | 1370 | 680 | 690 |
| 8 | School of Visual Arts | 7% (42) | 1320 | 670 | 650 |
| 10 | School of the Art Institute of Chicago | Test Score is NOT considered for School of the Art Institute of Chicago admission. | |||
| 10 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 48% (4,310) | 1440 | 700 | 740 |
| Average | 28.00% | 1404 | 693 | 711 | |
ACT Scores Comparison
The average ACT score of best Industrial Design schools is 32. By subject, the average ACT English score is 33 and the ACT math score is 30.
The following table compares ACT Scores between best Industrial Design schools for academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Submit%* (Submit#**) | Composite | English | Math |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island School of Design | 3% (17) | 32 | 35 | 30 |
| 2 | Art Center College of Design | Test Score is NOT considered for Art Center College of Design admission. | |||
| 3 | Carnegie Mellon University | 22% (405) | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| 4 | Cranbrook Academy of Art | No data is available. | |||
| 5 | California College of the Arts | Test Score is NOT considered for California College of the Arts admission. | |||
| 5 | Pratt Institute-Main | 2% (28) | 29 | 31 | 26 |
| 7 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 31% (3,005) | 30 | 31 | 29 |
| 8 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 9% (283) | 32 | 32 | 30 |
| 8 | School of Visual Arts | 0% (3) | |||
| 10 | School of the Art Institute of Chicago | Test Score is NOT considered for School of the Art Institute of Chicago admission. | |||
| 10 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 16% (1,408) | 32 | 34 | 32 |
| Average | 13.83% | 32 | 33 | 30 | |
*Number of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
**Percent of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
Application Requirements
The following table list and compare the requirements when applying best Industrial Design schools based on academic year 2024-2025 data.
| Rank | Name | HS GPA | HS Rank | HS Record | Prep. Program | Rec. | Compe. | SAT/ACT | TOEFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island School of Design | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 2 | Art Center College of Design | ✓ | ✗ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ |
| 3 | Carnegie Mellon University | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 4 | Cranbrook Academy of Art | Information about requirements for applying to school is not available. | |||||||
| 5 | California College of the Arts | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ |
| 5 | Pratt Institute-Main | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 7 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 8 | Rochester Institute of Technology | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 8 | School of Visual Arts | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 10 | School of the Art Institute of Chicago | ✗ | ✗ | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ |
| 10 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | ✗ | ✗ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
✔: Required △: Considered but not Required ✔: Recommended ✗: Neither Required nor Recommended
- HS GPA: High School or Secondary School GPA
- HS Rank: High School or Secondary School Rank
- HS Record: High School or Secondary School Record
- Prep. Program: Completion of College Preparatory Program
- Rec.: Recommendations
- Comp.: Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g., portfolios, certificates of mastery, assessment instruments)
The ranking data is provided by CollegeEvaluator.
Top Colleges By Subject
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*Number of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
**Percent of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.