Why CAD
Why choose a private school at €9,500 per year?
It’s a fair question, and we prefer to answer it head-on. Here’s what distinguishes CAD from a state-funded school, and what justifies the investment for those who genuinely want to make a living from creative work.
Five concrete differences
01
160 students total, 50 working teachers
It’s the most intimate ratio in Belgium for an art college. No 400-seat lecture halls. No queue to talk to a teacher. Every student is known, supported, mentored. The difference between learning in a crowd and learning in a team.
02
Mentored by working professionals
Faculty are not academics detached from the field. They are designers, architects, art directors working in agencies, studios, firms, houses or as freelancers. They are in direct contact with clients, the market, real-world constraints. And that’s the experience they bring to class, the same evening.
03
« Anglo-Saxon » pedagogy, practice before theory
At CAD, we draw, sew, prototype, present. Theory serves practice, not the other way around. You will spend most of your time in studio on real briefs from partner brands.
Posture
We train
the eye.
Before technique. Before tools. Before software. The eye first.
04
Over 90% employment after graduation
Over 90% of our graduates find employment in Belgium or abroad within months of graduation. It’s not by chance: the pedagogy is calibrated to ship operational profiles, not theorists.
05
Active international network from year one
Workshops in Milan, Shanghai, São Paulo, Cotonou, Berlin. Internships available everywhere. You don’t only learn in Brussels, you learn with the world.
And after CAD?
CAD graduates work in design agencies, fashion houses, architecture studios, media and brands. A few typical destinations.
Interior Architecture
Interior architecture practices, scenography studios, retail design, hospitality firms. Graduates work for example at Zoom Architecture.
Communication & Digital Design
Advertising and design agencies, brand & motion studios, in-house communication teams at brands, international freelance. Graduates work for example at Federate Agency, Rosa or Egg Hunter.
Fashion & Accessory
Fashion houses, emerging Brussels labels, trend studios, independent label creation. Graduates work for example at Céline, Longchamp or Eres.
Postgraduate - MA Image 3D Motion AI
CGI studios, audiovisual productions, augmented reality agencies, motion teams in agency, video freelance, generative-AI specialised structures.
For hesitating parents
One single fee scale
Same fee for all EU students. Differentiated for non-EU due to visa procedure. Fees locked for the program duration, except indexation if inflation exceeds 5%/year.
A payment plan available
A staggered payment plan is possible for some Belgian residents, subject to file acceptance and a €300 supplement.
Individual support from the secretariat
For all visa, housing, paperwork questions: the secretariat replies within 48h. International families get specific support for the student visa procedure.
A clearly assumed private status
CAD is a private, non-subsidised institution founded in 1961. That explains the fee. It also explains the pedagogical flexibility, human scale, and program autonomy.
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Let’s talk directly
The best way to know if CAD fits you (or fits your child) is to come and see. Open Day, Summer Breakfast, or individual meeting with the director, pick the format that works.
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