School of the Art Institute of Chicago vs Smith College

When it comes to higher education, School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and Smith College stand out as two distinct institutions with unique offerings. SAIC, located in the heart of Chicago's vibrant art scene, is a private art and design school renowned for its rigorous programs in visual arts, while Smith College, nestled in the historic town of Northampton, Massachusetts, is a private liberal arts college known for its strong academic reputation and commitment to women's education. With acceptance rates of 28% and 43%, respectively, both institutions offer a selective admissions process. While SAIC's student body is predominantly composed of art and design enthusiasts, Smith College boasts a diverse student population representing a wide range of academic interests. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details about these institutions, including popular majors, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your decision in choosing the best fit for your educational journey.

	School of the Art Institute of Chicago	Smith College
Overview
Location	Chicago, Illinois	Northampton, Massachusetts
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	83.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	81.0%	29.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $45	$60
SAT range	N/A	1370 - 1530
ACT range	N/A	31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score		34.0%
Students submitting ACT score		20.0%
Total number of applicants	5,835	6,064
Total number of admissions given out	4,725	1,814
Admitted students who chose to enroll	669	676
Yield rate	14.2%	37.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$67,380	$68,128
Average net price	$50,214	$29,569
Tuition	$52,200	$55,830
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $13,500 Meal plan: $2,480	Room/dormitory: $9,700 Meal plan: $9,720
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	93.0% Average amount $20,194	70.0% Average amount $44,108
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $5,504	35.0% Average amount $3,560
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $32,788	5.0% Average amount $8,280

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,795 Men 24.8% Women 75.2%	2,566 Men 0.1% Women 99.9%
Graduate students	764 Men 25.8% Women 74.2%	358 Men 16.2% Women 83.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	30.4%	13.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	990	2,519
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Mississippi New York California Connecticut Maryland

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts English Language and Literature Health Professions Education Architecture	Public Administration and Social Service Engineering Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Mathematics and Statistics
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	65.0%	91.0%
Dropout rate	7.5%	3.6%
Transferred out	25.6%	5.1%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,981 Year 2: $22,192 Year 3: $28,893 Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $26,095 Year 2: $22,055 Year 3: $27,442 Architecture (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,707 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $38,461 Year 2: $35,600 Year 3: N/A Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $27,550 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,246 Year 2: $38,829 Year 3: N/A	Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,496 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $70,990 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $47,650 Year 3: $56,651 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,011 Year 2: $45,554 Year 3: $53,962 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,620 Year 3: $53,886 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,098 Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $48,619 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,776 Year 2: $39,153 Year 3: $43,120 Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $31,839 Year 3: $41,147 Research and Experimental Psychology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,006 Year 2: $18,566 Year 3: $41,145 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,954 Year 2: $28,019 Year 3: $40,411 Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $34,603 Year 3: $38,497

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School of the Art Institute of Chicago

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