Overview
- CCA will wind down operations and close by the end of the 2026–27 academic year, with instruction continuing through May 2027.
- Vanderbilt will take ownership of the San Francisco campus and aims to open full-time undergraduate and graduate programs in 2027–28, pending approvals.
- The university plans a California College of the Arts Institute at Vanderbilt that will include the Wattis Institute, preserve archives, and engage alumni.
- Current CCA students may apply to Vanderbilt but will not be automatically transferred, and the college is arranging transfer and completion pathways with other accredited schools.
- Leaders cited demographic shifts and a structural deficit despite a 2025 fundraising boost of nearly $45 million, reflecting broader pressures that have closed other art schools such as SFAI and the University of the Arts.