Low Residency MFA Program | Low-Res Master of Fine Arts at SAIC

Dimly lit classroom filled with students viewing a presentation

The Low-Residency Master of Fine Arts (Low-Res MFA) program is a transdisciplinary course of study designed for 21st-century artists, writers, and educators looking for rigorous engagement, artistic community, and the flexibility of a self-directed schedule. Our graduates go on to be collected by major museums, represented internationally by galleries, and tenured at art schools and universities across the country.

Over the course of the seven-semester MFA program, a rotating core of SAIC faculty delivers on-campus and online instruction.

Students attend three consecutive six-week summer sessions in-person in Chicago structured around weekly seminars, colloquia, and studio visits with faculty and visiting artists.
During the spring and fall semesters between summer residencies, students work remotely from their home studios, and participate in asynchronous online courses and one-on-one advising.
The degree culminates in a written thesis and exhibition presented to the public.

Bringing together artists across all areas of practice, the Low-Res MFA is primarily a deeply conceptual and discursive program that emphasizes dialogue in community.

2025 Summer Residency Dates
In-person attendance is mandatory for the entire six-week residency period as well as orientation.

Mandatory Orientation: Friday June 13, 2025
Classes: Monday, June 16–Friday, July 25, 2025

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Low-Residency MFA Info Session and Open Studio Night 2025

Join us for a Low-Residency MFA Info Session and Open Studios. You will have the opportunity to see works in progress and finished pieces in the studios, as well as check out the 2025 Low-Residency MFA Show.

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File Your FAFSA

In order to be eligible for need-based aid such as SAIC, state and federal grants, loans and work study you need to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at fafsa.gov.

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Low-Residency MFA

Visiting Artists & Scholars Series

A hallmark of the Low-Res program, the Visiting Artists & Scholars lecture series brings world-renowned artists and scholars from all disciplines to Chicago during the Low-Res MFA six-week summer residency period. Speakers deliver a public lecture open to the entire SAIC and Chicago community. Watch past lectures.

See Visiting Artists & Scholars

Side by side black and white headshots of Gregg Bordowitz and Aliza Shvarts

Low-Residency MFA

10 Years of Low-Res

Low-Res celebrated its 10th anniversary! To mark this milestone, inaugural director, Gregg Bordowitz, joined new director, Aliza Shvarts, for a public on-campus conversation. Their discussion delved into the program’s origins and explored questions of transdisciplinarity, politics, and the future of arts pedagogy as a mechanism for social change. Thank you to all the students, alumni, faculty, and friends who joined us for this very special event.

WATCH A RECORDING OF THE EVENT

Low-Residency MFA

Core Faculty

The Low-Res MFA provides you the opportunity to work with world-renowned practitioners committed to interdisciplinary research and practice. The program is taught by core SAIC faculty as well as a rotating international roster of visiting artists, scholars, writers, critics, curators, and historians, who engage students in seminar, small group, and one-on-one instruction.

Meet Our Faculty