Specialized school
#5 Colleges with the most faculty per student in IllinoisSchool of the Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit · 4-year
Your real cost
Average price after aid $49,790 a year
Median debt at graduation: $27,000 (all students)
Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator
Rankings
Where this college places on our top lists. Lists are worked out from official data and our own research; places in the top quarter of each list are shown. See every list
In Illinois
Academic Excellence
Each measure counts for the share shown.
- Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.67%
- First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.84%
- Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.Not reported
- Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.10 to 1
- Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$18,435
Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.
Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))
What families pay, by income
Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.
| Family income | Price after aid |
|---|---|
| Up to $30,000 | |
| $30,001–$48,000 | |
| $48,001–$75,000 | |
| $75,001–$110,000 | |
| Over $110,000 |
Full cost of attendance before aid: $75,625 a year.
Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.
Cost and value
Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.
| Undergraduate students Fall enrollment (IPEDS) | 2,762 |
|---|---|
| Men and women College Scorecard, fall 2023 | Men 23% · Women 77% |
| First-generation students College Scorecard | 21% |
| Total students | 3,401 |
| Average net price (per year) After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid | $49,790 |
| Cost of attendance (per year) | $75,625 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $27,000 |
| Graduation rate First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time | 67% |
| Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients College Scorecard, within 6 years | 62% |
| Graduation rate for first-generation students College Scorecard, within 6 years | 62% |
| Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years College Scorecard, within 3 years | 61% |
| First-year retention | 84% |
| Median earnings 10 years after entry | $40,151 |
| Admission rate | 77% |
| Application fee IPEDS, 2023–24 | $65 |
| Students receiving Pell grants | 19% |
Value: Solid (how it’s computed)
Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.
Earnings by major
Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).
| Major | Median earnings |
|---|---|
| Fine arts |
Also offered (no earnings published yet): Interior Architecture, Visual and performing arts, Writing and rhetoric.
What students study most
Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).
| Field | Share of degrees |
|---|---|
| Visual and performing arts | |
| English |
Campus life
| Setting | City |
|---|---|
| Part-time undergraduates | 7% |
| Undergraduates aged 25 and older | 6% |
| On-campus room and board (per year) | $16,550 |
| Study abroad | Offered |
| Students per faculty member | 10 to 1 |
| Faculty who are full-time | 22%College Scorecard, fall 2023 |
| Endowment per student | $112,533IPEDS, 2023, per student |
| Dorm space | For about 37% of studentsBeds ÷ undergraduates; not how many live on campus |
| Nearest major airport | Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW)About 9 miles away |
| Town population | 2,711,226Census, 2020–2024 |
| Nearest city of 250,000 people or more | ChicagoAbout 4 miles away |
| Typical weather | 26°F in January · 74°F in JulyNOAA, 1991–2020, from Chicago Northerly Is, IL |
Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Campus safety reports
On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.
| Category | This campus | U.S. rate |
|---|---|---|
| Rape | 0.00 | 0.07 |
| Robbery | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| Aggravated assault | 0.00 | 0.04 |
| Burglary | 0.29 | 0.08 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 0.00 | 0.15 |
Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.
Questions families ask
- What is School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Compass Score?
- Good (grade B). It ranks in the top 45% of rated colleges. The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
- How much does School of the Art Institute of Chicago cost after financial aid?
- The average net price is $49,790 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
- How hard is it to get into School of the Art Institute of Chicago?
- School of the Art Institute of Chicago admitted 77% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
- How do School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s graduates do?
- 67% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $40,151; the median federal debt at graduation is $27,000.
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About this school’s data
- IPEDS unit ID 143048
- Carnegie classification: Special focus: arts, music & design
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission; National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation (U.S. Department of Education DAPIP)
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