Vanderbilt to absorb California College of the Arts, reshaping San Francisco’s design education
California College of the Arts will cease as an independent institution after 119 years and be taken over by Vanderbilt University at the end of the 2026-27 academic year; CCA will not admit new students next year as enrollment declines and a structural deficit persists. Vanderbilt will assume ownership of CCA's Design District campus and establish undergraduate and graduate programs, with about 1,000 students (roughly 750 on campus) under the new arrangement, down from roughly 1,300 today. Donations, including $45 million from Nvidia's Jensen Huang and a state grant, provided short-term relief but did not secure independent operation. City officials frame the move as a potential boost to downtown San Francisco amid a broader arts-scene contraction.
