Academy of Art vs American Academy of Art College

Academy of Art University and American Academy of Art College, both located in San Francisco, California, offer unique educational experiences for aspiring artists and designers. Academy of Art University, with an acceptance rate of 100%, welcomes a diverse student body of over 18,000 students from all over the world, while American Academy of Art College maintains a smaller, more intimate learning environment with an acceptance rate of 88% and a student body of around 1,000. Both institutions offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs in art and design, with Academy of Art University boasting a higher graduation rate of 75% compared to American Academy of Art College's 68%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more distinctions between these two esteemed art schools and make an informed decision about your artistic journey.
Academy of Art University logo

Academy of Art University

American Academy of Art College logo

American Academy of Art College

Overview

Location San Francisco, California Chicago, Illinois
Campus setting City: Large City: Large
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (For Profit) Private (For Profit)
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate
Students retention rate 69.0% 70.0%
Common app member No Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate Open Admission Open Admission
Application fees
Undergraduate: $50

Graduate: $50
SAT range N/A N/A
ACT range N/A N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants
Total number of admissions given out
Admitted students who chose to enroll
Yield rate
Test scores (SAT/ACT) Not required
High school GPA N/A N/A
Recommendation letters N/A N/A
High school transcript N/A N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) N/A N/A

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $48,772 $47,236
Average net price $32,593 $22,406
Tuition $24,624 $35,800
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $12,944

Meal plan: $6,542
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

80.0%
Average amount $9,848
67.0%
Average amount $19,206
Students receiving federal student loan 54.0%
Average amount $5,958
70.0%
Average amount $6,159
Students taking out private loans 2.0%
Average amount $31,298
15.0%
Average amount $13,425

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 5,363
Men 43.4% Women 56.6%
145
Men 31.7% Women 68.3%
Graduate students 2,442
Men 34.0% Women 66.0%
N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Moderate
Out-of-state students 65.9% N/A
International students 24.2% N/A
Campus local/setting City: Large City: Large
Dormitory capacity 1,280 N/A
First year students are required to live on campus? No N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from California Texas New York Florida Washington N/A

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Engineering Technologies
  • Communications Technology
  • Family and Consumer Sciences
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Communications Technology
  • Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio 14:1 6:1
Institutional accreditation Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 38.0% 56.9%
Dropout rate 36.0% 29.3%
Transferred out 20.7% 12.1%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Computer Software and Media Applications (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $55,653
  • Year 2: $88,417
  • Year 3: $69,026
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $66,077
  • Year 3: $63,589
Architecture (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $57,318
  • Year 3: $61,681
Computer Software and Media Applications (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $42,476
  • Year 2: $48,432
  • Year 3: $54,958
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $48,823
  • Year 3: $49,833
Design and Applied Arts (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $43,701
  • Year 2: $45,340
  • Year 3: $47,730
Graphic Communications (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $34,420
  • Year 3: $42,284
Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $36,132
  • Year 3: $40,098
Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $28,222
  • Year 2: $33,809
  • Year 3: $37,527
Music (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $44,942
  • Year 3: $35,817
Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $22,434
  • Year 2: $23,719
  • Year 3: $28,522
Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $23,217
  • Year 2: $19,866
  • Year 3: $23,771

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