Vanderbilt and the California College of the Arts have agreed for Vanderbilt to acquire CCA’a campus after the college ceases operations at the end of the 2026-27 academic year.
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Vanderbilt University plans to open a new full-time campus in San Francisco beginning in 2027, subject to securing the required regulatory approvals.
Vanderbilt anticipates that its San Francisco campus eventually will serve approximately 1,000 students. It represents one more step in the Nashville-based university’s growing national footprint, which also includes recent expansions in New York City and West Palm Beach.
Vanderbilt and the California College of the Arts have agreed for Vanderbilt to acquire CCA’a campus after the college ceases operations at the end of the 2026-27 academic year. Under the terms of the agreement, Vanderbilt will then own the campus, which will be home to both undergraduate and graduate programming, including art and design programs.
Vanderbilt plans to honor CCA’s legacy in several ways after it takes over the campus. It will operate a CCA Institute at Vanderbilt which will include the Wattis Institute of Contemporary Arts. It also will maintain CCA archival materials and continue to provide for CCA alumni engagement.
“Through these activities, Vanderbilt will honor CCA’s longstanding creative mission and maintain a strong presence for art and design education in the Bay Area,” said CCA President David C. Howse in a message to the CCA community, announcing the deal.
“San Francisco offers an extraordinary environment for learning at the intersection of innovation, creativity and technology, and it provides an unparalleled setting for Vanderbilt to shape the future of higher education,” Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier said in a statement.
“By establishing a significant full-time presence here, Vanderbilt is expanding the ways our students and faculty engage with the world’s most innovative cities and advancing our core mission of education and discovery,” Diermeier added. “We are grateful to Mayor Lurie for his leadership and support, and we look forward to being a long-term partner in San Francisco as Vanderbilt continues to grow its reach and impact. At the same time, we recognize the enduring contributions of the California College of the Arts and are committed to honoring and celebrating the creative legacy the CCA community has built over more than a century.”
In his message, Howse said that “after nearly two years of working to resolve the college’s underlying financial challenges, closing the college was ”the necessary step to take.” Even though CCA was the only remaining private art and design school in the Bay Area, declining enrollments rendered its tuition-driven business model unsustainable.
Private fund-raising, a $20 million dollar grant from the state of California, and a series of budget cuts bought CCA some time, but those measures ultimately proved not enough to enable the college to operate independently. Recognizing that lasting financial sustainability was no longer feasible, CCA has pursued potential partners over the last year. Vanderbilt proved to be the answer.
Howse added that “for students who will need additional time to complete their studies, we will be working closely with accredited institutions to establish transfer and completion pathways. These arrangements will allow students to continue their studies without interruption, and more information will be shared about the teach-out plans as agreements are finalized.”
Vanderbilt plans to feature an interdisciplinary educational model on its new campus that “will integrate engineering, entrepreneurship and design with a strong foundation in the arts, humanities, social sciences and natural sciences—blending creativity and analysis in ways that ignite breakthroughs and allow innovation to thrive.”
Local officials lauded the move. “Vanderbilt’s decision to invest in our city is a powerful testament to the fact that San Francisco is on the rise,” San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said. “My administration is building a thriving city core where people live, work, play and learn, and now we’re welcoming another institution that will invest for the long term. As Vanderbilt establishes its presence, they will carry forward CCA’s legacy and continue the work of educating the next generation of creative leaders in our city.”
Vanderbilt said that details about timing, facilities, faculty participation and academic programming will be forthcoming as it works with the city of San Francisco on the next steps.