School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois · Website
$40,151
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$40,151
median earnings, 10 years after starting
School of the Art Institute of Chicago is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Chicago, Illinois with 2,805 undergraduates and 589 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $49,790 a year (tuition and fees $56,420). It admits 77% of applicants and 67% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $40,151 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $27,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$49,790
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$56,420
US median $11,837
Admission rate
77%
US median 78%
Completion rate
67%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$27,000
About $286 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$40,151
Rank 2,641 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $49,790
- Tuition and fees
- $56,420
- Cost of attendance
- $75,625
- Students with a need-based grant
- 19%
- Students with federal loans
- 37%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $43,798
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $39,845
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $46,708
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $49,595
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $55,790
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $43,960 in 2015-16 to $56,420 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 77%
- Undergraduates
- 2,805
- Graduate students
- 589
- Part-time students
- 6.9%
- Women
- 77%
- Students per teacher
- 10
- Completion rate
- 67%
- Retention rate
- 84%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 20
- Endowment
- $416.9M
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 2,641 of 5,094 US colleges and 93 of 189 in Illinois (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | IL median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $49,790 | $15,156 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $56,420 | $13,291 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 77% | 77% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 67% | 59% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 84% | 72% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $27,000 | $10,297 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $26,742 | $34,234 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $40,151 | $39,544 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 61% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 45% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
20 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 581 | $27,000 | $23,984 | $45,602 | $41,367 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsMaster's | Master's | 166 | $69,783 | $24,521 | $47,355 | $49,079 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasMaster's | Master's | 23 | $50,834 | $56,302 | $52,952 | $63,707 |
| Design and Applied ArtsMaster's | Master's | 22 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $70,073 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing StudiesMaster's | Master's | 20 | $62,718 | $37,157 | $42,100 | $55,035 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsMaster's | Master's | 20 | $69,198 | $49,062 | $58,809 | $71,416 |
| Architectural Sciences and TechnologyMaster's | Master's | 17 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 13 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,471 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media ManagementMaster's | Master's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $59,685 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $59,460 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Visual and Performing Arts, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $41,688 |
| JournalismMaster's | Master's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $69,034 |
| Design and Applied ArtsGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Historic Preservation and ConservationGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 1 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Interior ArchitectureBachelor's | Bachelor's | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $60,369 |
| Interior ArchitectureMaster's | Master's | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| ArchitectureMaster's | Master's | - | Withheld | Withheld | $74,629 | $74,139 |
| Design and Applied ArtsPost-bachelor certificate | Post-bachelor certificate | - | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $81,857 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsPost-bachelor certificate | Post-bachelor certificate | - | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $26,285 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Chicago and Illinois on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Illinois
- Homes: Homes for sale in Illinois
Questions and answers
How much does School of the Art Institute of Chicago cost?
$49,790 a year is the average net price at School of the Art Institute of Chicago after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $56,420, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $75,625. Families earning under $30,000 pay $43,798 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at School of the Art Institute of Chicago?
77% of applicants are admitted to School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The median admission rate of colleges in Illinois is 77%.
How much do School of the Art Institute of Chicago graduates earn?
$40,151 a year is the median pay of former School of the Art Institute of Chicago students who work, 10 years after they started ($26,742 after 6 years). That ranks 2,641 of 5,094 US colleges and 93 of 189 in Illinois. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's) at $56,302.
How much student debt do School of the Art Institute of Chicago graduates have?
$27,000 is the median federal student loan debt of School of the Art Institute of Chicago graduates, about $286 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 37% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at School of the Art Institute of Chicago?
67% of first-time, full-time students at School of the Art Institute of Chicago finish within 6 years. 84% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at School of the Art Institute of Chicago?
Fine and Studio Arts (581 bachelor's graduates), Fine and Studio Arts (166 master's graduates), Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (23 master's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 20 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.