School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, IL, USA

Admissions

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Key Admission Stats

Institution Type
Private
  • Coed

Need Blind

This school does not consider an applicant’s financial situation when deciding admission

Level of Institution
4 Year
Campus Setting
Major city
0
100
81%
Acceptance Rate
5,835
Students Applied
65%
Transfer Acceptance Rate
111
Transfer Students Admitted

Admissions Requirements

SAT
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No
ACT
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No
SAT Subject Tests
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Yes
AP Course Credit
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Yes
Dual Enrollment
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Yes
Transcript
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Yes

Important Deadlines

Application TypeApplication DeadlineReply Deadline
Early Action Acceptance is not binding, but student will receive admissions decision earlier.November 15
Fall Regular DecisionNovember 15
Spring Regular DecisionNovember 1
Rolling Admissions

The college has rolling admissions, which means applications are accepted any time throughout the year.

Test Optional
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Yes
Application Fee
$65
Fee waivers available
Applications Accepted
Rolling Admissions
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Yes

Admitted Student Stats

In-State Students
18%
Countries Represented
43
30%
Submitting ACT
40%
Submitting SAT
Average ACT Composite: 27
0
36
Average SAT Composite: 1238
0
1600
SAT Percentiles

Math
25th
488
75th
600
Reading
25th
560
75th
660
3.60
Average GPA

Admissions Resources

Admissions: visit page
Admissions Email: [email protected]
Admissions Telephone: 800-232-7242
For International Student Services: visit page
For Students with Disabilities: visit page
For Veteran Services: visit page

What Students Are Saying

Search for as much scholarships as possible to help out with art supplies, tuition, food, etc. You can not get enough free money to go to school and do exactly what you love! Also, find your inspiration, run with it, never be to crazy, and NEVER stop creating!
Cassie from Papillion, NE
Attend an SAIC day and have a portfolio review! Simply by doing this, your application fee will be waived and you may be considered as a prime candidate for a merit scholarship. All applicants are automatically considered for these scholarships, but this will give you a leg up on the competition. In your portfolio, focus on concepts and experimentation rather than technical skill. SAIC is very concept-heavy and loves when students take risks. Don't bring a car! Parking in a city is always brutal, there is a train directly next to the school, and taking it is far cheaper than the cost of a car.
Sarah from MA
saic doesn't make it's students choose a discipline to focus on, which has it's pros and cons. it's very easy to get unfocused. i would recommend sitting down with an adviser, who will help you pick classes that with sharpen the skills you have and spark new ones.
Maria from Irmo, SC
Get scholarships. Don't live in student housing if you can avoid it, it's nice but overly expensive. Finical aid is a pain in the a*s, they will try to withhold your money for months. Have fun, ask questions, and learn.
Dana from Evansville, IN
Get into the clubs early if you want to feel apart of the community. Also, the housing is expensive and keeps you too secluded on one area of the city, look into apartments in the city it'll save you money and get you out of the downtown area.
Sydnee from Chicago, IL
Do NOT come here if art is a hobby, or if you are unsure if art (of any kind; you can always change majors!) is what you want to do; if you're going to pay this much for an art education, you need to breathe art. You have to need it. Otherwise, you will almost certainly become one of the many people who drop out in the first year (and I do mean many; I lived in the dorms, and the turnover rate got crazy right around midterm critiques).
Kristine from Salida, CA
The first year drop out rate is almost 80 percent. Before you come here, I would encourage you to really be certain art is the career path you wish to take. And if it is, be prepared to work for it. Also, don't become isolated. This is a competitive school, and I have seen students cut themselves off from classmates and friends to focus solely on their work. I strongly recommend finding a student group, or establishing some form of community when you get here. You will need people you can go to when the stress levels are driving you insane.
Brianna from Chicago, IL
Do not take an interior architecture class as a throwaway elective just to see what it's like. Architecture classes are not cheap and they are not easy.
Katherine from Clinton, MO
Most people would probably be better served in their personal and intellectual development by going to a real school and working hard at a discipline more closely related to what is generally considered practical. You should face the fact that it is extremely unlikely that you will ever be a professional artist, and that you will be lucky to find a job that truly utilizes the visual skills you learn at SAIC. Many graduates have this hammered home to them only after they graduate and find out that the world won't cater to their narcissistic tendencies. You will likely have a considerable amount of debt and be challenged in finding a way to pay it off comfortably.

With that in mind, you could still get a lot out of going here. Just don't expect to be pampered forever:)
Glen from Chicago, IL