School of the Art Institute of Chicago

School of the Art Institute of Chicago logo
#907 / #263
Global Influence / U.S. Influence
#638
Most Desirable School
University and independent school of art and design

School of the Art Institute of Chicago at a Glance

U.S. influence rank
#263
Acceptance rate (fall 2024)
77%
Tuition and fees (2025–26)
$58,220
Graduation rate
68%
Undergraduates (fall 2024)
2,805

Reviewed by , 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

About School of the Art Institute of Chicago

According to Wikipedia, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is a private art school associated with the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to an art students' cooperative founded in 1866, which grew into the museum and school, SAIC has been accredited since 1936 by the Higher Learning Commission, by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design since 1944 , and by the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design since the association's founding in 1991. Additionally it is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board. In a 2002 survey conducted by Columbia University's National Arts Journalism Program, SAIC was named the "most influential art school" in the United States.

School of the Art Institute of Chicago Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information

Annual ApplicationsAcceptanceRetention RateGraduation Rate
6,63377%84%68%

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 School of the Art Institute of Chicago Cost To Attend?

Tuition and fees (in-state)
$58,220
Average Net Price by Family Income (2024–25)
IncomeAverage Net Cost
0 - 30K$53,571
30K - 48K$45,693
48K - 75K$49,871
75K - 110K$52,533
110K+$63,581

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 School of the Art Institute of Chicago Graduates Make?

Ten years after starting college, former School of the Art Institute of Chicago students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $47,612 a year, and 84% 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.

School of the Art Institute of Chicago's Demographics

Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.

Student BodyUnder-GradsGraduates
3,5972,912685

Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.

Where is School of the Art Institute of Chicago?

School of the Art Institute of Chicago is located at 36 S Wabash, Chicago, IL 60603.

How Safe is School of the Art Institute of Chicago?

School of the Art Institute of Chicago reported 0.3 violent and property offenses on campus per 1,000 students in 2024, fewer than most midsize partly residential campuses. Its figures can also be looked up in the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security database.

Relative to its enrollment, School of the Art Institute of Chicago has a violent crime rate of less than 0.01% and a property crime rate of 0.03%. Chicago has a violent crime rate of 0.54% and a property (including theft) crime rate of 3.49%. 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 School of the Art Institute of Chicago Known For?

School of the Art Institute of Chicago is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:

School of the Art Institute of Chicago's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Each rank compares how much School of the Art Institute of Chicago'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

Engineering
#1352
World Rank
#1373
Historical Rank
#242
USA Rank

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ranks #242 in the U.S. and #1352 worldwide for influence in Engineering.

engineering Degrees
History
#784
World Rank
#804
Historical Rank
#279
USA Rank

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ranks #279 in the U.S. and #784 worldwide for influence in History.

history Degrees
Education
#1473
World Rank
#1479
Historical Rank
#346
USA Rank

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ranks #346 in the U.S. and #1473 worldwide for influence in Education.

education Degrees
Medical
#1472
World Rank
#1477
Historical Rank
#404
USA Rank

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ranks #404 in the U.S. and #1472 worldwide for influence in Medical.

medicine Degrees

Who Are School of the Art Institute of Chicago's Most Influential Alumni?

School of the Art Institute of Chicago's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Communications, Literature, and History. Here are some of School of the Art Institute of Chicago's most famous alumni:

Georgia O'Keeffe
Georgia O'Keeffe
An American artist .
Jeff Koons
Jeff Koons
An American sculptor.
Thomas Hart Benton
Thomas Hart Benton
An American painter .
Kenneth Rexroth
An American poet, writer, anarchist, academic and conscientious objector.
Grant Wood
Grant Wood
An American painter .
David Sedaris
David Sedaris
An American author.
Edward Gorey
Edward Gorey
An American writer, artist, and illustrator .
A. Y. Jackson
A. Y. Jackson
A Canadian painter .
Vachel Lindsay
Vachel Lindsay
An American poet.
Sarah Vowell
Sarah Vowell
An American author, journalist, singing songs and social commentator.
Kimon Friar
An American writer .
Halston
Halston
An American fashion designer .

Who Are School of the Art Institute of Chicago's Most Influential Faculty?

LaToya Ruby Frazier
LaToya Ruby Frazier
An African American photographer and professor.
Eugenia Cheng
Eugenia Cheng
An English mathematician and pianist.