With an undergraduate population of about 1,500, CCA provides world-class resources and facilities in a small, private college environment.  Students learn from a faculty of renowned practitioners in small classes, with an average of 18 per class. Faculty advisors, trained in assisting students in navigating their college experience, are part of a well-rounded first-year program.

The San Francisco Bay Area—long known for leading the way in technology development, ecological concerns, and creative innovation—is home to California College of the Arts.  CCA comprises two campuses in the neighboring cities of Oakland and San Francisco, California. CCA's two campuses complement each other and create productive intersections among disciplines.The college operates a shuttle between the two campuses and the residence halls.

CCA maintains close connections with the region's arts community.  The CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts offers leading-edge programs including exhibitions, lectures, artist residencies, performances, and symposia. CCA's Center for Art and Public Life focuses on issues in community development, new models of practice in community-based art and design, and cultural diversity and youth development through the arts.