Academy of Art University
Academy of Art University at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Academy of Art University Featured Rankings
About Academy of Art University
According to Wikipedia, The Academy of Art University , formerly Academy of Art College and Richard Stephens Academy of Art, is a private for-profit art school in San Francisco, California. It was founded as the Academy of Advertising Art by Richard S. Stephens in 1929. In fall 2023, it had 126 full-time teachers, 492 part-time teaching staff, and 6,786 students; it claims to be the largest privately owned art and design school in the United States. The school is one of the largest property owners in San Francisco, with the main campus located on New Montgomery Street in the South of Market district.
Academy of Art University's Online Degrees
AA in Animation & Visual Effects
- Required Credits: 66
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
AA in Fashion Product Development
- Required Credits: 60
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
AA in Fashion Styling
- Required Credits: 60
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
AA in Fashion Visual Merchandising
- Required Credits: 60
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
AA in Fine Art
Degree Concentrations
- Emphasis in Drawing and Painting
- Emphasis in Printmaking
- Emphasis in Sculpture
- Required Credits: 66
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
AA in Game Development
- Required Credits: 66
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
AA in Graphic Design
- Required Credits: 66
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
AA in Illustration
- Required Credits: 66
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
AA in Industrial Design
- Required Credits: 66
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
AA in Interior Architecture & Design
- Required Credits: 66
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
AA in Jewelry and Metal Arts
- Required Credits: 66
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
AA in Landscape Architecture
- Required Credits: 66
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
AA in Motion Pictures and Television
- Required Credits: 66
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
AA in Music Production
- Required Credits: 66
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
AA in Photography
- Required Credits: 66
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
AA in Sound Design
- Required Credits: 66
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
AA in Studio Production for Advertising & Design
- Required Credits: 60
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
AA in Visual Development
- Required Credits: 66
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
AA in Web Design
- Required Credits: 66
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
BFA in Animation & Visual Effects
- Required Credits: 132
- Completion Time: 4.5-5.5 years
- Format: Fully online
BFA in Art Education
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4-5 years
- Format: Fully online
BA in Art History
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4-5 years
- Format: Fully online
BFA in Art History
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4-5 years
- Format: Fully online
BFA in Costume Design
- Required Credits: 132
- Completion Time: 4.5-5.5 years
- Format: Fully online
BFA in Fashion Product Development
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4-5 years
- Format: Fully online
BFA in Fashion Styling
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4-5 years
- Format: Fully online
BFA in Fashion Visual Merchandising
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4-5 years
- Format: Fully online
BFA in Fine Art
Degree Concentrations
- Emphasis in Drawing and Painting
- Emphasis in Printmaking
- Emphasis in Sculpture
- Required Credits: 132
- Completion Time: 4.5-5.5 years
- Format: Fully online
BFA in Game Development
Degree Concentrations
- 3D Modeling for Games
- Animation for Games
- Concept Art for Games
- Game Design
- UI & UX for Games
- Required Credits: 132
- Completion Time: 4.5-5.5 years
- Format: Fully online
BS in Game Programming
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4-5 years
- Format: Fully online
BFA in Graphic Design
- Required Credits: 132
- Completion Time: 4.5-5.5 years
- Format: Fully online
BFA in Illustration
- Required Credits: 132
- Completion Time: 4.5-5.5 years
- Format: Fully online
BFA in Industrial Design
- Required Credits: 132
- Completion Time: 4.5-5.5 years
- Format: Fully online
BFA in Interior Architecture & Design
- Required Credits: 132
- Completion Time: 4.5-5.5 years
- Format: Fully online
BFA in Jewelry and Metal Arts
- Required Credits: 132
- Completion Time: 4.5-5.5 years
- Format: Fully online
BFA in Landscape Architecture
- Required Credits: 132
- Completion Time: 4.5-5.5 years
- Format: Fully online
BFA in Motion Pictures and Television
- Required Credits: 132
- Completion Time: 4.5-5.5 years
- Format: Fully online
BFA in Music Production
- Required Credits: 132
- Completion Time: 4.5-5.5 years
- Format: Fully online
BFA in Music Scoring and Composition
- Required Credits: 132
- Completion Time: 4.5-5.5 years
- Format: Fully online
BFA in Photography
- Required Credits: 132
- Completion Time: 4.5-5.5 years
- Format: Fully online
BFA in Sound Design
- Required Credits: 132
- Completion Time: 4.5-5.5 years
- Format: Fully online
BFA in Visual Development
- Required Credits: 132
- Completion Time: 4.5-5.5 years
- Format: Fully online
BFA in Web Design
- Required Credits: 132
- Completion Time: 4.5-5.5 years
- Format: Fully online
MA in Animation & Visual Effects
- Required Credits: 36
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MFA in Animation & Visual Effects
- Required Credits: 63
- Completion Time: 3.5-4.5 years
- Format: Fully online
MA in Art Education
- Required Credits: 36
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MA2 in Art Education
- Required Credits: 63
- Completion Time: 3.5-4.5 years
- Format: Fully online
MAT in Art Education
- Required Credits: 27
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MAT2 in Art Education
- Required Credits: 39
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MA in Art History
- Required Credits: 36
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MA in Costume Design
- Required Credits: 36
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MFA in Costume Design
- Required Credits: 63
- Completion Time: 3.5-4.5 years
- Format: Fully online
MA in Fashion Art Direction
- Required Credits: 36
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MFA in Fashion Product Development
- Required Credits: 63
- Completion Time: 3.5-4.5 years
- Format: Fully online
MA in Fine Art
Degree Concentrations
- Emphasis in Drawing and Painting
- Emphasis in Printmaking
- Emphasis in Sculpture
- Required Credits: 36
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MFA in Fine Art
Degree Concentrations
- Emphasis in Drawing and Painting
- Emphasis in Printmaking
- Emphasis in Sculpture
- Required Credits: 63
- Completion Time: 3.5-4.5 years
- Format: Fully online
MA in Game Development
Degree Concentrations
- 3D Modeling for Games
- Animation for Games
- Concept Art for Games
- Game Design
- UI & UX for Games
- Required Credits: 36
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MFA in Game Development
Degree Concentrations
- 3D Modeling for Games
- Animation for Games
- Concept Art for Games
- Game Design
- UI & UX for Games
- Required Credits: 63
- Completion Time: 3.5-4.5 years
- Format: Fully online
MA in Graphic Design
- Required Credits: 36
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MFA in Graphic Design
- Required Credits: 63
- Completion Time: 3.5-4.5 years
- Format: Fully online
MA in Illustration
- Required Credits: 36
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MFA in Illustration
- Required Credits: 63
- Completion Time: 3.5-4.5 years
- Format: Fully online
MA in Industrial Design
- Required Credits: 36
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MFA in Industrial Design
- Required Credits: 63
- Completion Time: 3.5-4.5 years
- Format: Fully online
MA in Interior Architecture & Design
- Required Credits: 36
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MFA in Interior Architecture & Design
- Required Credits: 63
- Completion Time: 3.5-4.5 years
- Format: Fully online
MA in Jewelry and Metal Arts
- Required Credits: 36
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MFA in Jewelry and Metal Arts
- Required Credits: 63
- Completion Time: 3.5-4.5 years
- Format: Fully online
MA in Landscape Architecture
- Required Credits: 36
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MFA in Landscape Architecture
- Required Credits: 63
- Completion Time: 3.5-4.5 years
- Format: Fully online
MFA2 in Landscape Architecture
- Required Credits: 87
- Completion Time: 4-5 years
- Format: Fully online
MFA in Motion Pictures and Television
- Required Credits: 63
- Completion Time: 3.5-4.5 years
- Format: Fully online
MA in Music Scoring and Composition
- Required Credits: 36
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MFA in Music Scoring and Composition
- Required Credits: 63
- Completion Time: 3.5-4.5 years
- Format: Fully online
MA in Photography
- Required Credits: 36
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MFA in Photography
- Required Credits: 63
- Completion Time: 3.5-4.5 years
- Format: Fully online
MA in Sound Design
- Required Credits: 36
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MFA in Sound Design
- Required Credits: 63
- Completion Time: 3.5-4.5 years
- Format: Fully online
MA in Visual Development
- Required Credits: 36
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MFA in Visual Development
- Required Credits: 63
- Completion Time: 3.5-4.5 years
- Format: Fully online
MA in Web Design
- Required Credits: 36
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MFA in Web Design
- Required Credits: 63
- Completion Time: 3.5-4.5 years
- Format: Fully online
AA in Advertising
- Required Credits: 66
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
AA in Fashion Marketing
- Required Credits: 60
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
AA in Fashion Merchandising
- Required Credits: 60
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
BFA in Advertising
- Required Credits: 132
- Completion Time: 4.5-5.5 years
- Format: Fully online
BFA in Fashion Marketing
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4-5 years
- Format: Fully online
BFA in Fashion Merchandising
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4-5 years
- Format: Fully online
MA in Advertising
- Required Credits: 36
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MFA in Advertising
- Required Credits: 63
- Completion Time: 3.5-4.5 years
- Format: Fully online
MA in Fashion Marketing
- Required Credits: 36
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MFA in Fashion Marketing and Brand Management
- Required Credits: 63
- Completion Time: 3.5-4.5 years
- Format: Fully online
MA in Fashion Merchandising
- Required Credits: 36
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MFA in Fashion Merchandising and Management
- Required Credits: 63
- Completion Time: 3.5-4.5 years
- Format: Fully online
AA in Fashion Journalism
- Required Credits: 60
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
BA in Communications and Media Technologies
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4-5 years
- Format: Fully online
BA in Fashion Journalism
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4-5 years
- Format: Fully online
BFA in Writing for Film, Television and Digital Media
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4-5 years
- Format: Fully online
MA in Communications and Media Technologies
- Required Credits: 36
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MA in Fashion Journalism
- Required Credits: 42
- Completion Time: 2.5-3.5 years
- Format: Fully online
MFA in Writing for Film, Television and Digital Media
- Required Credits: 60
- Completion Time: 3.5-4.5 years
- Format: Fully online
BArch in Architecture
- Required Credits: 162
- Completion Time: 4.5-5.5 years
- Format: Fully online
BA in Architecture
- Required Credits: 132
- Completion Time: 4.5-5.5 years
- Format: Fully online
MArch in Architecture
- Required Credits: 63
- Completion Time: 3.5-4.5 years
- Format: Fully online
MArch2 in Architecture
- Required Credits: 87
- Completion Time: 4-5 years
- Format: Fully online
Academy of Art University Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Retention Rate | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| 75% | 33% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Academy of Art University Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $32,224 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $42,297 |
| 30K - 48K | $41,651 |
| 48K - 75K | $41,212 |
| 75K - 110K | $40,964 |
| 110K+ | $41,816 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Academy of Art University Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Academy of Art University students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $44,567 a year, and 81% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Academy of Art University's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 8,463 | 5,662 | 2,801 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Academy of Art University?
Academy of Art University is located at 79 New Montgomery, San Francisco, CA 94105.
How Safe is Academy of Art University?
Relative to its enrollment, Academy of Art University has a violent crime rate of less than 0.01% and a property crime rate of 0.15%. San Francisco has a violent crime rate of 0.60% and a property crime rate of 3.96%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is Academy of Art University Known For?
Academy of Art University is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
Academy of Art University's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Academy of Art University's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Academy of Art University ranks #316 in the U.S. and #1343 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesAcademy of Art University ranks #360 in the U.S. and #2212 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesAcademy of Art University ranks #427 in the U.S. and #1590 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesAcademy of Art University ranks #512 in the U.S. and #1870 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesAcademy of Art University ranks #743 in the U.S. and #2241 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesAcademy of Art University ranks #838 in the U.S. and #3636 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesWho Are Academy of Art University's Most Influential Alumni?
Academy of Art University's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Computer Science, Communications, and Business. Here are some of Academy of Art University's most famous alumni:
Who Are Academy of Art University's Most Influential Faculty?
Academy of Art University's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Computer Science, Communications, and Business. Here are some of Academy of Art University's most famous faculty:
