Image credit: Faith Decker
Welcome CCA Students
Continue Your Journey At SAIC
As a California College of the Arts (CCA) student, we recognize the investment you’ve made in advancing your art and design studies. Though CCA will close at the end of the 2026–2027 academic year, SAIC is committed to helping you continue on your creative journey. To ensure academic continuity for CCA students, SAIC developed a set of exclusive benefits and supports for undergraduate students.
- Generous Credit Transfers: SAIC offers flexible policies, accepting up to 70 transfer credits for courses.
- Streamlined Application Process: To get you back on track as quickly as possible, your application fee and letter of recommendation will be waived and we’ll fast-track your application by requiring only an unofficial transcript. See application fee waiver instructions and all transfer application requirements.
- Competitive Merit Scholarships Guaranteed for all students admitted from CCA.
- On-Campus Housing Deadline Extended: Submit your housing application and deposit by June 15 for on-campus housing in the heart of Chicago.
- Dedicated Support: Our admissions counselors are ready to perform individual portfolio and transcript reviews to build a custom plan for your graduation. A dedicated Student Financial Services counselor can provide guidance on SAIC's financial aid process and next steps.
Were you accepted for fall 2025? You can still request a deferral of your admission by emailing slombardi@saic.edu.
Prospective graduate students interested in transferring to SAIC should email gradmiss@saic.edu.
Meet With Us
SAIC is coming to Oakland! We invite prospective students to meet with us in March. For more details, email slombardi@saic.edu.
Why Choose SAIC?
Acknowledged Excellence
SAIC is consistently ranked as one of the world's great colleges for art and design. SAIC has the #2 graduate fine arts program in the nation as recognized by 'U.S. News and World Report,' is ranked in the top 10 of art and design schools in the world by QS World University Rankings, and is considered “the most influential art college in the United States” in Columbia University’s National Arts Journalism survey.
A Long History of Influence
Founded in 1866, SAIC has been at the forefront of art education for 160 years. As part of the Art Institute of Chicago—the second largest art museum in the country—SAIC is the second oldest museum-affiliated art school in the United States.
A Vibrant, Urban Campus
Voted the “Best Big City in the US” by 'Condé Nast Traveler' for nine years in a row, Chicago is a global cultural center that’s full of opportunity. SAIC's campus is located right in the heart of the Loop and adjacent to Millennium Park.
Interdisciplinary Freedom
Much like the environment at CCA, SAIC encourages students to work across disciplines—from studio arts to design and architecture. We don’t have majors; you can work across disciplines as you complete your undergraduate degree.
World-Class Facilities
With its well-equipped studios, extensive gallery and exhibit spaces, unique resource centers and special collections, and close connection to the Art Institute of Chicago—one of the world's great art museums—SAIC offers artists the tools and opportunities for exploration that few institutions can match.
Three of our students share what brought them to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Tess Shoshana
"The freedom to choose what you learn and how you learn."
Leo Dai
"I wouldn’t be where I’m at right now without Chicago."
Antane Phillips
"The museum, I have now seen it as my second classroom."
Available Programs of Study
While SAIC’s dynamic, interdisciplinary curriculum gives you the freedom to explore across departments, below are how our programs most directly relate to CCA’s majors:
| CCA Program | Comparable SAIC Program |
|---|---|
| BFA Animation | BFA in Studio - Film, Video, New Media, and Animation |
| BFA Ceramics | BFA in Studio - Ceramics |
| BFA Comics | BFA in Studio - Painting and Drawing; BFA in Studio - Printmedia |
| BFA Communication Design | BFA in Studio - Visual Communication Design |
| BFA Fashion Design | BFA in Studio - Fashion Design |
| BFA Furniture Design | BFA in Studio - Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects |
| BFA Game Arts | BFA in Studio - Film, Video, New Media, and Animation |
| BFA Illustration | BFA in Studio - Painting and Drawing |
| BFA Industrial Design | BFA in Studio - Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects |
| BFA Interaction Design | BFA in Studio - Visual Communication Design |
| BFA Painting & Drawing | BFA in Studio - Painting and Drawing |
| BFA Photography | BFA in Studio - Photography |
| BFA Printmedia | BFA in Studio - Printmedia |
| BFA Sculpture | BFA in Studio - Sculpture |
| BFA Textiles | BFA in Studio - Fiber and Material Studies |
Additional Programs at SAIC
In addition to the programs listed above, SAIC also offers the following:
Request Information or Contact Us
Fill out the form below to get connected to an SAIC admission counselor who will answer any questions you may have and walk you through the transfer process.
If you have any questions about SAIC or the transfer application process, we’re happy to help. Contact our admissions office at 312.629.6100, 800.232.7242, or ugadmiss@saic.edu.