Student Experience
CCS’s dynamic, student-oriented community has many resources to help you navigate life on campus, connect with others, and establish your practice and career. Our faculty, staff and support teams are here to provide you with the services and tools you need to make your experience at CCS a great one.
Mentoring Program
Wellness Center
Annual Transfer Student Dinner
Access to the Detroit Institute of Arts
Extracurricular Involvement Opportunities
On-Campus Student Clubs & Organizations
Art & Design Lecture Series
Student Success Center
Experiential Learning
10:1 Student-to-Teacher Ratio
Three On-Campus Galleries
Design Core Detroit
At a Crossroads in Your Transfer Pathway?
Let
Us Help Clear the Road.
Transferring can be confusing, but we can guide you toward completing a four-year degree in your dream field as an artist or designer... or both.
CCS is more than a college; it is where your creative spirit can soar and where access to solid jobs in the creative economy is a reality.
Why Transfer Your Creative Energy to CCS?
Our aim is to ensure you graduate with the building blocks necessary to make a living doing what you love. You will graduate with the skills, knowledge and ability to innovate and be prepared to make an impact in whatever creative endeavor you choose.
Internships and Career Services Focused on the Creative Sector
Internships are a significant part of your professional growth and are very often the entryway to a job. Our Office of Partnerships works to maintain and expand its company connections so that the best internships and job opportunities are available to our students. Check out hire.ccsdetroit.edu where potential employers can find you and your work, and where you can seek out opportunities that match your goals.
Experiential Learning and Sponsored Research Projects
Our sponsored studios are unique, credit-bearing experiences for students to work in a design-oriented, client-based environment where you learn professional skills by “doing.” These projects are integrated into your courses — which means you are building job connections without even stepping out of the classroom. Visit ccsdetroit.edu/careers-and-experiential-learning to learn more.
Alumni
Our alumni stay connected to CCS by using Handshake and attending recruitment events to find current students and recent graduates for internships and jobs at their companies and studios.
1 in 3 undergraduate students are transfer students
209+ sponsored research projects (students working directly with industry artists and designers) took place between 2017—2024
“Transferring to CCS was easier than I expected. It felt good knowing that after four years of putting off applying and talking to other illustration alumni about how much I wanted to come here, I was finally doing something about it.”
Phi Theta Kappa has named the College for Creative Studies to its 2024 Transfer Honor Roll. This is the sixth consecutive year PTK has recognized CCS — making us the only college in Michigan and only college of art and design to earn this distinction.
Interdisciplinary Art + Design is a program designed with you in mind. Our newest offering was built to provide the kind of crosscutting and collaborative skill sets you need for today’s creative sector while also allowing maximum flexibility for transfer to CCS!
2,202 companies engaged* with CCS to recruit students in the 2023/2024 academic school year. 64+ were international companies
12 undergraduate majors and a Visual Arts Teacher Certification program. You can also enhance your studies by choosing a minor in any of our studio specialties, or select Sustainability and Social Responsibility, Art Therapy, Creative Writing or Entrepreneurial Studies.
131 for-credit internships that students secured for the 2023/2024 academic year
Our alumni are employed by companies, galleries, museums and studios where you want to work, and they know the quality of a CCS education
Median pay by occupation
3D Modelers: $57,560
Animators: $98,950
Apparel/Accessories Designers: $76,700
Art Directors: $105,180
Automotive Designers: $75,910
Cinematographers: $85,320
Color & Materials Designers: $65,390
Communication Designers: $105,180
Gallery Artists: $57,560
Game Designers: $98,950
Interior Designers: $61,590
Multimedia Designers: $57,560
Photojournalists: $40,170
Product Designers: $75,910
UX Designers: $83,240
VFX Artists: $98,950
$25,885
the average scholarship/ grant package (money from all sources that is not repaid) projected for incoming students in 2024/2025
We’ll Help You Make an Informed Decision
Our transfer team and admissions staff will ensure you get answers to questions that are comprehensive and that consider your specific situation.
Getting Started
Request a transfer consultation by filling out the form through the QR code on the right. If you include transcript(s) at this step, you can get a Transfer Credit Evaluation. These transcripts can even be used toward your application requirements when you apply.
At CCS, you can learn
Animation
Art Direction
Art Education
Brand Strategy
150+ sponsored research projects (studentsworking directly with industry artists and designers) took place between 2017—2022
Brand Writing
Car Exterior/Interior Design
Ceramics
Concept Design
Exhibit Design
Fashion Accessories Design
Fashion Design
Fiber & Textiles
Film
Fine Art
Game Design
Glass
Graphic Design
Illustration
Industrial Design
Interdisciplinary Art + Design
Interior Design
Metalsmithing & Jewelry
Mobility Design
Motion Design
Painting
Photography
Printmaking
Product Design
Sculpture
Transportation Design
UX/UI Design
Vehicle Design
Video/Digital Media
Visual Development
Transfer Credit Evaluation
When we have all your latest transcripts we will prepare your Transfer Credit Evaluation (TCE). Keep in mind that we may request some examples of work from specific art courses you’ve completed, so be sure to hold onto them or take photos! Your TCE will provide you with a clear understanding of your pathway toward a CCS degree.
Scholarship and Cost
Completing the application process will allow us to give you answers about your cost to attend. Transfer applicants are automatically reviewed for generous merit and transfer-specific scholarships. If you have a FAFSA on file, we’ll also mail out your total aid package detailing all awards, grants and aid so you can have an accurate picture of what your out-of-pocket cost will be. File the FAFSA online at studentaid.gov. Use CCS School Code: 006671.
Apply Now
Complete our free online application
This easy form can be completed in 5 – 10 minutes. No essay or recommendations required. Visit ccsdetroit.edu/apply
Show us your work
Either show us your work in person or upload 5 – 12 pieces to ccs.slideroom.com. There is a $10 upload fee.
Artwork requirements vary by major. Find details on what to submit at ccsdetroit.edu/admissions/ undergraduate-admissions/undergraduate-portfolio-requirements, or contact your admissions counselor.
Submit your transcript(s)
Submit official or unofficial college transcripts. Request electronic documents through parchment.com, studentclearinghouse.org/transcriptservices or your college’s registrar.
Visit and Explore In Person or Online
We offer a variety of options to explore CCS so you can choose what works best for you. Meet with faculty and advisors, tour campus and housing options, attend presentations, and get in-depth info on our academic offerings and the careers they’ll lead you to.
Get details and make a plan to visit at ccsdetroit.edu/visit.