Undergraduate Student Work
Undergraduate Studies

Explore Our Programs

You have the creative freedom to explore and customize your education through curricular paths that may cross departments or concentrate in a single medium.

 

AREAS OF STUDY

VIEWBOOK

Why SAIC

    It's Your Future

    Are you equal parts sculpture and writing? Interested in filmmaking only? At SAIC, we help you navigate a dynamic interdisciplinary curriculum that gives you the freedom to explore new possibilities, guides you professionally, and prepares you for a creative future.

    Two students looking through a book.

    Experience Matters

    SAIC student internships offer opportunities in a mindblowing variety of fields, from fashion and tech to media and nonprofits. SAIC's art- and design-focused internship program is one of the oldest and most successful in the US.

    A student walking through a large scale installation using natural and white wooden planks.

    Your Curiosity is a Plus

    At SAIC, you earn about a quarter of your credits by choosing from an array of fascinating and relevant courses in the liberal arts and sciences. The combination of creative, research, problem-solving, and rigorous thinking skills you gain as a result gives you an unusually strong foundation for life after SAIC, whatever path you choose.

    A student looking through a large file in the library.

    Our Museum, the Art Institute

    Don't be surprised if, in the middle of a class, your professor decides to walk the class over to see a specific artwork at the world-renowned Art Institute of Chicago museum. You'll have free access to more than 300,000 works of art (the third-largest collection in the world) right in your backyard.

    A picture of the modern wing of the Art Institute of Chicago.

    A Creative Center

    Chicago is an easily navigable and endlessly inspiring landscape of 77 distinct and richly diverse neighborhoods, and SAIC sits at its creative apex. You’ll learn in the heart of the city’s vibrant art and design scene, supported by a network of faculty and local alums.

    An image of the Garfield Park Conservatory.

    Small School, Vast Resources

    From the decidedly analog (our foundry) to state-of-the-art (3D printing, laser cutting, a bio lab), there are no limits to realizing your creative vision.

    A student wrapping a piece of art at a workstation.
    Students in a common area sitting on a couch and talking
    Take the Next Step

    How to Apply

    Wherever you are on the journey to an undergrad degree in art and design, we're here to help.

    FRESHMEN

    TRANSFER STUDENTS

    INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

    Paying for Your Education

      SAIC Scholarships

      SAIC awards merit and need-based scholarships and grants to help break down barriers to access.

      Two students looking at a piece of fabric on a table.

      Federal & State Aid

      Federal and state aid assistance is available for our graduate and undergraduate students.

      Two people wearing green protective smocks while heating up metal in a furnace.

      Outside Scholarships

      To help finance your education, there’s a wide range of financial aid options available outside of SAIC.

      A person smiling and sitting at a throwing wheel in a ceramics studio.

      Maria Gaspar’s Power of Place

      "A piece of art isn’t just about paint on a surface, it’s about the surface itself. The brick, the dilapidated building, the impact of those textures. The meaning and history of those places changes the outcome of the work." – Maria Gaspar, Associate Professor in Contemporary Practices

      Explore
      Artist and professor Maria Gaspar

      Maria Gaspar

      Follow Us