How does Calarts compare with ACCD? CalArts and ACCD are the top art and design schools in the United States, each with its own characteristics and advantages. CalArts is one of the most avant-garde pure art colleges in the United States. It was invested and established by Walt Disney, and is known as the birthplace of Disney animators, especially in animation, film production and performance. The film major of CalArts focuses on cultivating students' practical ability and creative skills, encourages students' individual creativity and independent thinking, and provides students with rich learning resources and practical opportunities. CalArts graduates occupy an important position in the film industry. For example, many famous directors such as Tim Burton were students or faculty members of the school.
1、 College Profile
California Academy of Arts （CalArts）
Time of establishment: 1961, invested by Walt Disney.
Location: Santa Clarita Valencia, Los Angeles County, California, USA.
College type: private art college, known as one of the most avant-garde pure art colleges in the United States.
Disciplines: including six departments of art, criticism, dance, film and video, music and drama, providing interdisciplinary research projects.
Ranking and reputation: It enjoys a high reputation in animation, film, art and other fields, and its animation specialty ranks first in the United States.
ACCD（Art Center College of Design）
Founded in 1930, it is one of the earliest design schools in the world.
Location: Located in Pasadena, California, USA.
College type: private design college, known as "Harvard in the design world".
Disciplines: covering industrial design, graphic design, interior design, vehicle design, entertainment design and other fields.
Ranking and reputation: It ranks first in terms of teaching quality and graduate employment rate, and alumni are distributed in major design companies and well-known brands around the world.
2、 Professional features and advantages
CalArts
Animation: ranking first in the United States, it is divided into role animation and experimental animation, and has trained a large number of outstanding animators and filmmakers.
Interdisciplinary research: It emphasizes interdisciplinary learning and research, and encourages students to explore the links between different art fields.
Experimentation and innovation: known for its experimentation and innovation, it encourages students to challenge tradition and explore new forms of artistic expression.
Art Center School of Design ACCD （Art Center College of Design）
Industrial design: The industrial design specialty enjoys a high reputation in the world, focusing on the cultivation of practice and innovation ability.
Entertainment design: The major of entertainment design is also very powerful, especially in character animation and concept design.
Teachers: We have a group of well-known designers and educators who have rich experience and outstanding achievements in the design field.
3、 Application difficulty and admission rate
CalArts
Application difficulty: very high. Due to its strict selection requirements for applicants, it has maintained a very low admission rate (about 20%) for a long time.
Application materials: including transcripts, language scores, portfolios, resumes, artist statements and letters of recommendation.
ACCD（Art Center College of Design）
Application difficulty: It is also relatively high, but it may be slightly lower than CalArts.
Application materials: transcripts, language scores, portfolios and letters of recommendation are also required.
4、 Employment Prospects and Alumni Network
CalArts
Employment prospects: graduates have broad employment prospects in animation, film, art and other fields, and many graduates have become outstanding in the industry.
Alumni network: Alumni are all over the world, including many outstanding artists, designers and filmmakers.
ACCD（Art Center College of Design）
Employment prospects: Graduates have a high reputation and influence in the design industry, and alumni are all over the world's major design companies and well-known brands.
Alumni network: It is also very powerful, providing rich career development opportunities and resources for graduates.
To sum up, CalArts and ACCD are excellent art schools, but there are obvious differences between them in terms of college profile, professional characteristics and advantages, application difficulty and admission rate, employment prospects and alumni network. Which college to choose depends on personal interests, professional direction, career planning and other factors.
In general, if the goal is to enter the film and television industry, CalArts' animation, film production and performance majors are undoubtedly excellent choices. If you are interested in design majors such as industrial design, interaction design or vehicle design, ACCD is a very good choice. Both schools have their own advantages and characteristics, and the final choice should be based on personal career planning and interests.
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