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Consumer Information

Consumer Information

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) educates artists, designers, and scholars, offering nationally accredited undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate programs to more than 3,100 students from around the globe.

Additional information about the School of the Art Institute of Chicago can also be found online at College Navigator.

Admissions and Academic Information

  • See the numbers below to learn about the diversity among the School of the Art Institute of Chicago's (SAIC) student body.

    Fall 2023

    • Total Enrollment: 3,402
    • UGRD: 2,763
    • GRAD: 639
    • Female: 75%
    • Male: 25%
    • Full-Time Pell Grant Recipients: 462
    • INT students: 31%
    • Countries represented: 86
    • African American: 5.1%
    • American Indian: 0.1%
    • Asian or Pacific Islander: 10.2%
    • Hispanic: 11.4%
    • Multiethnic: 3.9%
    • Not Specified: 4.1%
    • White: 34.1%
    • Midwest (not including Chicago): 19%
    • West: 14.7%
    • Northeast: 12.6%
    • South: 12.9%
    • Chicago 7.1%

  • The information presented below is required by the Student Right-to-Know Act as amended by the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA). Institutions are required to disclose their graduation rate information for first-time freshmen who graduate within six years of starting their studies. The current rate for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago is 67 percent. This information does not include transfer, exchange, or special certificate students for whom the graduation rate is much higher.

    Graduation Rate

     

    67%

    Gender

     

    Males

    59%

     

    Female

    69%

    Ethnicity

     

    American Indian or Alaska Native

    0%

     

    Asian

    56%

     

    Black or African American

    68%

     

    Hispanic/Latino

    64%

     

    Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

    0%

     

    White

    64%

     

    Two or more races

    63%

     

    Race/ethnicity unknown

    64%

     

    Nonresident alien

    77%

    Financial Aid

     

    Pell Grant Recipients

    56%

     

    Federal Stafford Loan Recipients

    61%

     

    Students who did not receive a Pell Grant or Loan

    74%

    The first-year retention rate of first-time, full-time bachelor’s degree-seeking students entering the institution during the fall 2021 period as reported to IPEDS is 79 percent.

     

  • Artists, Designers, and Scholars as Teachers

    SAIC’s faculty members are artists, designers, scholars, influencers, and innovators. They are mentors and educators, but equally, peers and collaborators. Our faculty offer real-world insight because they are experienced practitioners who have been in your position before.

    They know what it’s like to re-evaluate their work and explore the idea of being an artist, a designer, and a scholar. And they are passionate about informing the process from conception to execution through unabashed discourse and critique.

    View faculty profiles (searchable by Academic Department and/or Name)

    • 2022–23 SAIC Degree Program Faculty
    • 154 Full-time Faculty
    • 625 Part-time Faculty
    • 779 Total Faculty in Fall and Spring semesters


    Faculty Breakdown by Position

    • 57 Professors
    • 73 Associate Professors
    • 17 Assistant Professors
    • 7 Full-time Visiting Artists
    • 154 Full-time Faculty
       
    • 49 Professors, Adjunct
    • 94 Associate Professors, Adjunct
    • 73 Assistant Professors, Adjunct
    • 216 Total Adjunct (ranked) Part-time Faculty
       
    • 409 Lecturers, Senior Lecturers, Professors Emeriti


    Faculty Race/Ethnicity

    • 0.3% American Indian/Indigenous or Alaska Native
    • 9.1% Asian
    • 7.6% Black or African American:
    • 6.7% Hispanic/Latinx
    • 0.0% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
    • 4.8% Multiracial
    • 71% White
    • 0.5% Unspecified 

Affiliate Entities

The information below relates to exchange programs available to SAIC students through affiliate entities and is being provided in accordance with the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Program Integrity Regulations passed on October 29, 2010.

In general, the affiliate entities listed in the chart below deliver educational programs in a manner similar to that of SAIC (i.e., classroom work, direct instruction, and studio time). SAIC will provide all portions of the educational programs not otherwise provided by the affiliate entities listed.

Except as otherwise noted, students taking classes at any of the entities listed below will pay tuition to SAIC at SAIC's regular rate, with no additional tuition fees payable to the entity (host school) unless mandated for a particular class (e.g., studio fee). The student will be responsible for all ancillary costs and expenses associated with taking classes at an affiliated entity (e.g. airfare, ground transportation, visas, campus accommodations and meals, health insurance and related charges.)

In addition to the affiliate entities listed below, SAIC allows student to participate in programs conducted by third-party providers (e.g., Lexia, CIEE, SIT, IES, CET, and others). To participate in such a program, the student will pay tuition to SAIC at SAIC's regular rate. They will also pay to the third-party provider a tuition fee equal to the difference, if any, between the tuition charged by the host school and the tuition charged by SAIC.

DETERMINED AS OF 10/11/22.

  • Schools to which we currently send/host students for study abroad.

    * Student pays SAIC's usual tuition with no additional tuition fees to host school unless mandated for a particular class (e.g., studio fee). Unless otherwise noted, quoted amounts exclude expenses for visa fees, air and ground transport, living expenses, exchange rate fluctuations, health insurance coverage, and on-campus or off-campus accommodation, which may vary according to location, airline, and time of travel.

    Name and Location of Institution

    Estimate of Additional Expenses

    College of Fine Arts (COFA), U. of New South Wales

    Australia

    Sydney

    Cnr of Oxford St and Greens Rd

    Paddington, NSW 2021

    Australia

    *

    Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University

    Australia

    Melbourne

    RMIT University International Services

    GPO Box 2476 Melbourne, Victoria 3001

    Australia

    *

    École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décortifs

    France

    Paris

    31 rue d'Ulm 75240

    Paris Cedex 05

    *

    Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts

    France

    Paris

    l'Ecole nationale supérieure des beaux-arts, service de la scolarité

    14 rue Bonaparte, 75272

    Paris Cedex 06

    *

    The Bauhaus University Weimar

    Germany

    Weimar

    Geschwister-Scholl-Strasse 8 Weimar

    99421 ThĂĽringen

    *

    University of Fine Arts, Berlin (UdK)

    Germany

    Berlin

    UdK Berlin

    Postfach 12 05 44

    D-10595 Berlin

    Germany

    *

    Bezalel Academy of Arts & Design

    Israel

    Jerusalem

    Hebrew U. of Jerusalem

    Mount Scopus, 91905

    Jerusalem

    *

    Gerrit Rietveld Academie

    The Netherlands

    Amsterdam

    Fred. Roeskestraat 96 1076 ED Amsterdam 020 5711600

    * Residency permit €600

    Utrecht School of Fine Art

    The Netherlands

    Utrecht

    P.O. Box 1520

    3500 BM Utrecht

    The Netherlands

    * Residency permit €600

    Seoul National University

    South Korea

    Seoul

    1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu

    Seoul, Korea 151-742

    *

    Hochschule fur Gestaltung und Kunst Zurich (ZHdK)

    Switzerland

    Zurich

    Ausstellungsstrasse 60 CH-8005 ZĂĽrich

    *

    The Glasgow School of Fine Art

    United Kingdom

    Glasgow, Scotland

    167 Renfrew Street | Glasgow | G3 6RQ | Scotland | UK

    *

    University College of London, Slade College of Fine Art

    United Kingdom

    London, England

    UCL

    Gower Street

    London 

    WC1E 6BT

    *

     

  • Semester-long exchange options for AICAD students/schools only. AICAD Exchange is currently on pause for spring 2024. AICAD is currently reviewing the program and will decide if we will resume for 2024–25 year at a later date.

    ** Student pays SAIC's usual tuition with no additional tuition fees to host school unless mandated for a particular class (e.g., studio fee). Unless otherwise noted, quoted amounts exclude expenses for air and ground transport, living expenses, health insurance coverage, and on-campus or off-campus accommodation, which will vary according to location, airline, travel distance and accommodation choice.

    Name and Location of Institution

    Estimate of Additional Expenses

    California College of the Arts

    USA

    San Francisco and Oakland

    1111 Eighth St.

    San Francisco CA 94107

    **

    Columbus College of Art & Design

    USA

    Columbus

    60 Cleveland Ave.

    Columbus, OH 43215

    **

    Kansas City Art Institute

    USA

    Kansas City

    4415 Warwick Blvd.

    Kansas City, MO 64111

    **

    Laguna College of Art & Design

    USA

    Laguna Beach

    2222 Laguna Canyon Rd.

    Laguna Beach, CA 92651

    **

    Maine College of Art and Design

    USA

    Portland, ME

    522 Congress St.

    Portland, ME 04101

    **

    Maryland Institute, College of Art

    USA

    Baltimore

    1300 W Mount Royal Ave.

    Baltimore, MD 21217

    **

    Massachusetts College of Art

    USA

    Boston

    621 Huntington Ave.

    Boston, MA 02115 USA

    **

    Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design

    USA

    Milwaukee

    273 E. Erie St.

    Milwaukee, WI 53202

    **

    Minneapolis College of Art & Design

    USA

    Minneapolis

    2501 Stevens Ave.

    Minneapolis, MN 55404

    **

    Otis College of Art & Design

    USA

    Los Angeles

    9045 Lincoln Blvd.

    Los Angeles, CA 90045

    **

    Pacific Northwest College of Art

    USA

    Portland, OR

    1241 NW Johnson St.

    Portland, OR 97209

    **

    Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts

    USA

    Philadelphia

    118–128 N. Broad St.

    Philadelphia, PA 19102

    **

    Ringling School of Art & Design

    USA

    Sarasota

    2700 N. Tamiami Trail

    Sarasota, FL 34234-5895

    **

    School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts

    USA

    Boston

    230 The Fenway

    Boston MA 02115

    **

    The University of the Arts

    USA

    Philadelphia

    320 Broad St.

    Philadelphia, PA 19102

    **

    Alberta University of the Arts

    Canada

    Calgary

    1407 14 Ave. NW

    Calgary, AB T2N 4R3

    Canada

    *

    Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design

    Canada

    Vancouver

    1399 Johnston St.

    Granville Island

    Vancouver BC V6H 3R9

    Canada

    *

    Nova Scotia College of Art & Design

    Canada

    Halifax

    5163 Duke St.

    Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

    B3J 3J6

    *

    OCAD University 

    Canada

    Toronto

    100 McCaul St.

    Toronto ON M5T 1W1

    *

    Burren College of Art

    Ireland

    Ballyvaughan

    Newtown Castle,

    Ballyvaughan,

    Co. Clare, Ireland

    *Immigration Registration Fee €300

     Lesley College of Art and  Design USACambridge  

  • Frequent sites for outgoing SAIC study abroad students—not exchange partners.

    *** Student pays SAIC's usual tuition with possible additional tuition fees payable to host school depending the difference between SAIC's and the host school's tuition fees, currency exchange rates, and the number of credit hours taken. Unless otherwise noted, quoted amounts exclude expenses for visa fees, air and ground transport, living expenses, exchange rate fluctuations, health insurance coverage, and on-campus or off-campus accommodation which can vary according to location.

    Name and Location of Institution

    Estimate of Additional Expenses

    Lorenzo de' Medici (LdM)

    Italy

    Florence

    Via Faenza, 43

    50123 Firenze, Italia

    ***

    University of the Arts London (Central. St. Martins, London. Col. of Fash)

    United Kingdom

    London

    University of the Arts London

    272 High Holborn

    London WC1V 7EY

    United Kingdom

    ***

    Goldsmiths College

    United Kingdom

    London

    Goldsmiths, University of London, New Cross, London, SE14 6NW, UK

    ***

     

     

Post-Graduation Activities

  • Outcomes represent 369 out of 561 alumni who completed their bachelor’s degrees one year after graduation, a 65.8% knowledge rate.

    • 87% are employed
    • 7.32% are continuing their education
    • 94.3% career outcomes

  • Outcomes represent 171 out of 221 alumni who completed their bachelor’s degrees one year after graduation, a 77.4% knowledge rate.

    • 91.23% are employed
    • 1.17% are continuing their education
    • 93% career outcomes

  • Pass rates for the last five years for SAIC graduates who have taken the exam for the purpose of board certification with the Art Therapy Credentials Board.

    Year

    Pass

    Fail

    Pass Rate

    2017

    9 Pass

    0 Fail

    100% Pass Rate

    2018

    7 Pass

    0 Fail

    100% Pass Rate

    2019

    9 Pass

    1 Fail

    90% Pass Rate

    2020

    5 Pass

    0 Fail

    100% Pass Rate

    2021

    14 Pass

    0 Fail

    100% Pass Rate

    The number of SAIC graduates who are credentialed with the Art Therapy Credentials Board for the past 9 years. 
    *The ATR-P is an optional credential for graduates to hold before obtaining the ATR.

    Year

    New ATRs

    Now ATR-BC

    Was ATR-P

    2012

    6

    2

    0

    2013

    24

    11

    0

    2014

    12

    4

    0

    2015

    11

    2

    0

    2016

    9

    4

    0

    2017

    16

    6

    0

    2018

    17

    3

    2

    2019

    5

    2

    0

    2020

    12

    4

    1

    2021

    13

    4

    3

    Teacher Preparation Program Report: 2023 Title II Report Card 
    Types of Graduate and Professional Education in Which the Institution’s Graduates Enroll 
    [Not yet available] 

The data posted here is similar in concept to the IPEDS Completions component. The Completions component is a measure of students who graduated together and is centered on the calendar year of graduation. However, exclusions is a concept that applies to Graduation Rates and Graduation Rates 200 components. The Graduation rates components measure time to completion for incoming Full-Time FF from when they arrive on campus through graduation. Mandatory military service for some international students is by far the most common reason SAIC uses for marking an exclusion. Permanent medical disability and death are cited, but much less frequently. There are only two other allowable reasons for exclusion and those are participation in a foreign aid service or participation in a church mission.

Student Complaint Procedure

Students may file a complaint by following the complaint procedures outlined in the student handbook.

Online students residing in a SARA state* should attempt to resolve grievances through SAIC's institutional process for filing a complaint. If a student is not satisfied with the outcome of SAIC's process, the complaint (except for those involving grades or student conduct violations) may be brought to the Illinois Board of Higher Education. For more information regarding the complaint process for students residing in SARA states, please visit the SARA website.

Students may also file a complaint with SAIC's accrediting agency, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) by following the HLC complaint procedure.

*SAIC is an institutional participant in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA). SARA is a voluntary agreement among member states and U.S. territories that establishes comparable national standards for interstate offering of distance-education courses and programs. SARA membership includes all states (and the District of Columbia), except California. Click here to learn more about SARA.

Filing a Complaint with an Accrediting Agency and Relevant State Agencies

Federal Program Integrity rules issued by the U.S. Department of Education require institutions to provide to students or prospective students contact information needed to file a complaint and with relevant state agencies.

For a link to state agency information for all 50 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico, please click on the following link: State-by-State-Complaint.

Illinois Board of Higher Education

431 E. Adams, 2nd floor  
Springfield, IL 62701-1404  
info@ibhe.org 
Institutional Complaint Hotline: 217.557.7359 
Institutional Online Complaint Link: https://complaints.ibhe.org/

Illinois Attorney General

Consumer Fraud Bureau  
500 S. Second St.  
Springfield, IL 62706  
illinoisattorneygeneral.gov 
Consumer Fraud Hotline: 800.243.0618

Higher Learning Commission

230 S. LaSalle St., Suite 7-500 
Chicago, IL 60604-1411 
For students receiving GI Bill Benefits: 
benefits.va.gov/gibill/feedback.asp